Funeral held for Dr. Hazel Dukes, trailblazing civil rights leader in New York City
Dr. Hazel Dukes' funeral was held Wednesday in Harlem, a final goodbye for a civil rights icon.
A large crowd gathered at Mother AME Zion Church, which Dukes regularly attended, to pay tribute, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Hazel Dukes was a political powerhouse
Clinton remembered meeting Dukes in 1992 when former President Bill Clinton was running for the White House. She said Dukes was the one who encouraged her to run for Senate in New York.
"When I ran for president in 2016 against he-who-shall-not-be-named, there she was again -- as fierce, as focused, as smart as ever," Clinton said.
She called on the audience to carry on Dukes' legacy and "recommit to not being tired."
"To not giving in or giving up. To not allowing the forces of darkness and meanness and chaos to cover our land. To stand up and speak out, just like Hazel Dukes did, and just like she would expect all of us to do," Clinton said, getting a round of applause.
Hochul remembered Dukes as her mentor and said they became closer after her mother died of ALS.
"She took me to Sylvia's. She said, 'I'll be your mother,' and it was such a honor for me. I didn't know I'd be siblings with about 1,000 people," Hochul said. "She had so much love and compassion. She was always there for me during some challenging times. That's what she was known for. She didn't give up on her friends. When she embraced you, she was there, even when others were attacking. She's your best defender, and you will win any fight if you have Hazel Dukes on your side."
The governor said she spoke with Dukes just days before her death and promised to continue the fight.
"We have that moral responsibility now," Hochul said. "As the place that was the birthplace of the women's rights movement here in New York, she's in that long line... Hazel Dukes will be among them. And if I have my way, I will make sure that her image is on the staircase -- the million dollar staircase -- in Albany. As we honor the great people of history, I want to see Hazel Dukes in that capitol, I want her there, I want her looking down on everyone, and we'll never forget her influence as long as that building stands."
"I am so proud to have been one of her children"
When it was Adams' turn to speak, he also noted Dukes' motherly and unwavering support, saying "Ma Dukes," as she was affectionately known, "was good to the last drop."
The mayor said when he was indicted last fall, she told him to "stand strong."
"She said, 'Baby, I'm going to stand by you.' She was the type of woman that walked in the room when everybody walked out. She held my hand, and she prayed with me and she said, 'You never surrender,'" Adams said, adding, "I am so proud to have been one of her children. She meant so much to me, and I know she meant to much to all of you."
Dukes also stood by Cuomo when he went through scandals.
"She used to say she was my second mother," Cuomo said. "On a personal level, there's a hole in my heart. Whenever there was trouble, she was the first one to be there. Whenever there was a setback, she was the first one to be there to give me a hug and a kiss."
Marc Morial of the National Urban League summed up Dukes' hold on the political life of the state and the nation.
"Hazel Dukes was the Mother Teresa of New York City, but she was also, when it came to politics, the EF Hutton of New York City. When she spoke all heads turn, because they wanted to hear what she had to say," Morial said. "I think anyone who ran for office or who really wanted to stand up an initiative in New York, they made a pilgrimage to see Mama Dukes, to get a perspective, to see what she said. Now, she had this incredible ability to be gracious and blunt at the very same time, and I think that's why she was so beloved because she pulled no punches."
The Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry said Dukes was "always on the case" and called her "the matriarch of the movement."
"Ma Dukes" mourned by many
Dukes was described by many as a woman of great strength and courage. She died on March 1, the first day of Women's History Month and just 16 days shy of her 93rd birthday.
She was a trailblazing civil rights leader and president of the New York NAACP for nearly five decades, one of the few women to lead the historic organization.
Dukes fought tirelessly for racial diversity and voting, housing and education rights, and she was active in politics until her passing. She supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and she administered the oath of office when Hochul was sworn in as the first woman elected governor of New York in 2023.
The street outside the church was filled with mourners paying their respects at her wake. People started lining up outside even before the sun came up. Later, long lines wrapped around the block.
"She was a very tough person, but she was a very nice person, and was very sincere about fighting for folks' equal rights," said Harlem resident Edward Muse, who made sure he was first in line at 5:30 a.m.
Almost everyone whose life she touched said her influence on humanity will live on forever.
"I think the services were awesome, a great tribute to a great woman who has made a huge difference in our lifetime and is leaving and passing the torch at a time where we all need to pick up arms and do our part," said Carol Killiebrew of Brooklyn.
Even in death, she is giving back. In lieu of flowers, people are urged to donate to the NAACP Youth & College division to help the next generation.
