Hazel N. Dukes remembered as 'a long-distance runner' of civil rights causes at Harlem funeral attended by more than 1,000

Civil rights activist Hazel N. Dukes, who for decades fought against police brutality, housing discrimination and educational inequality, was memorialized Wednesday at a funeral that drew more than 1,000 mourners, including everyday New Yorkers and eulogists like Hillary Clinton, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.

Dukes — a former president of the national NAACP who as a young woman successfully fought a legal battle against Roslyn Heights landlords who illegally denied her an apartment — died March 1 at age 92 in Manhattan. At the time of her death, Dukes was president of the NAACP New York State Conference, a position she held for decades.

And Wednesday, at an hourslong service inside the Mother AME Zion Church in Harlem, fellow activists, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, urged mourners to be inspired by Dukes' life and fight back against Trump administration cuts to Social Security, Medicare and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The speakers avoided saying the name of President Donald Trump, but the references were clear, some more obvious than others.

"As we leave this beautiful church, let us 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 out and speak out just like Hazel Dukes did and how she would expect us all to do," Clinton said.

Sharpton, who recalled meeting Dukes when he was 13, was more blunt. 

"She raised us for this day!" he said.

Sharpton ridiculed what he called "microwave activists" who "get heated up and cool off," and then move on. "Some of us, like Hazel, were long-distance runners and some of us were committed. But I never met anyone more committed than Hazel Dukes," he said.

He  listed various causes in which she played key roles, including protesting the police killings of George Floyd in 2020 and Sean Bell in 2006, and how she was willing to commit civil disobedience.

"Hazel would go to jail and to the White House, and she was the same Hazel Dukes," Sharpton said. 

Among those in the church pews: New York Attorney General Letitia James, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and former Govs. David A. Paterson and Andrew M. Cuomo.

Hochul announced Wednesday the creation of the Dr. Hazel N. Dukes Civic Leadership Initiative, which will be charged with "promoting civic and service opportunities across New York." She recounted a visit she had with Dukes just a few days before she died.

"She looked at me with those still really intense eyes ... and said, ‘I love you. You be strong and you don't give up the fight.’ “

"I said, 'Mama Dukes, I will carry on that fight. I will be your voice as we take on all the insanity coming out of Washington.’ "

Adams praised Dukes for standing by him, even after he was indicted in September on bribery and campaign finance charges, noting his mother had died three years earlier.

"She was the kind of woman who walked in the room when everybody walked out," Adams said. "She held my hand and she prayed with me."

Outside the church, James said it was "critically important" to "fight against this autocracy ...And so each and every part of Hazel Dukes is part of who we are, it's part of our DNA, it's part of the struggle, and we're gonna continue. We're not afraid."

Several speakers noted how Dukes had planned almost every detail of her own service.

Outside the church, mourners talked about her role in their lives.

Frederick K. Brewington, a Long Island attorney who specializes in civil rights cases, said: "She mentored me through my career." He cited her work in voting rights cases in Nassau County and how she "reignited the Lakeview branch" of the NAACP.

Brewington called her an "icon" and said she played a "foundational" role in civil rights causes.

Derrick Lewis II, interim director of youth and college at the NAACP, said Dukes sought to empower the next generation.

"She was always on the front lines. But most importantly, she was always ensuring she had somebody coming along with her that she could tutor and develop," he said.

Harlem resident JT Thompson said Dukes’ presence brought about a sense of calm and that attending the service was about respect.

"I came here today to pay my respects and to say, ' I love you. I appreciate you, and you touched my life, and I'm hoping that I can do the same with other people that come after us,'" he said.

Hisha Ewing, of West Nyack, said she remembered, as a child growing up in the Bronx, people saying "Get Mama Dukes" when there was an injustice.

She said Dukes left behind a powerful legacy of fighting wrongs, but also posed the question: "What should we do next?"

"Her crown has to be passed down, but who's going to step up?"