Over seven decades, I learned a lot from Hazel Dukes

I met civil rights icon Hazel Dukes, who died earlier this month, in the 1950s when she and I were both in our 20s. A friend of mine and I had agreed to meet with two other women, one of whom turned out to be Hazel, to discuss forming what was to become the Roslyn Committee for Civil Rights.

Hazel and I immediately realized how much we had in common. We were both passionate about politics and civil rights. We were the same size, could wear the same clothes, and our birthdays were one day apart, though I was four years older.

We started spending time together, introduced our friends to each other, and got involved in politics together. That led, in 1966, to her becoming the first Black person hired to work in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office.

I learned from Hazel four key lessons that may be particularly helpful to others.

First, she had extraordinary optimism, based firmly in her faith. She had confidence she would accomplish everything she set out to do.

When, as a young Black woman, she tried to rent an apartment at the Roslyn Gardens complex (which had a "For Rent" sign on display in its window) and was denied, she immediately phoned me and asked for help. I called two friends, and the three of us went to the same rental agent who 30 minutes earlier had told Hazel that there were no available apartments, and we were shown three apartments to consider. Later that day, Hazel became the first Black tenant at the Roslyn Gardens complex. Her optimism — as it did so often — proved justified.

Second, Hazel opened every door that became available to her. When she walked into a room, she worked the room with charm, commitment, and honesty. She met everyone there — "because you never know who can help" — and addressed every person to convert them to her cause. She was a magician in talking to a room.

Third, she was relentless throughout her life. As she got older, she simply moved to recruiting new generations to the NAACP. As a 20-year-old, she would try to recruit high school students. As a 90-year-old, she continued to recruit high schoolers and older groups as well. A new generation always offered new hope.

One reason for her longevity as president of the NAACP’s New York Conference over six decades was her persistent belief in others.

Fourth, I learned from Hazel that ensuring civil rights is the responsibility of all of us. We all need to be part of the solution.

That’s why 21 years ago, as a board member of the Long Island Community Foundation, I helped start an initiative that later became ERASE Racism, the Long Island-based civil rights organization. We all owe a huge debt to dedicated civil rights leaders like Hazel, but we can’t simply admire them from a distance.

We have an obligation to advance fairness and civil rights in our own communities, as ERASE Racism continues to do on Long Island. Last summer, ERASE Racism presented Hazel with our Lifetime Achievement Award.

Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Hazel Dukes is the recognition that we all need to do whatever we can in our own lives and communities to ensure fairness, including civil rights, for all. As Hazel demonstrated, we all need to be relentlessly optimistic.

This guest essay reflects the views of Marge Rogatz, who has lived in Port Washington for 18 years and, before that, in Roslyn Heights for 51 years.