Former NAACP President Hazel Dukes dies at 92

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By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Hazel Dukes died at her home in New York City on Saturday at 92.

“While she may have passed on, hers is a legacy that will outlive us all,” NAACP leaders said in a joint statement.

Dukes, an Alabama native, migrated with her family to New York in the 1940s.

Following the move, she got involved in the movement for racial equity across healthcare, education and housing, according to the NAACP. Dukes was later selected by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson to his Head Start program, which was aimed at meeting the emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs of preschool-aged children from low-income families.

Dukes succeeded Enolia McMillan, the first woman to lead the NAACP, as president in 1990. She held that position until 1992 and served as president of the NAACP New York State Conference at the time of her death.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Dukes with the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, in 2023 for her more than 70 years of work in civil rights.

“These 70 years have not been easy; they have been filled with pain, hardships, and tribulations,” Dukes said after receiving the award. “But the struggles of those who paved the way serve as a powerful reminder that we must take bold steps to confront racism and tirelessly advocate for civil rights.”

Dukes became the first civilian in the United States to administer the oath of office to a governor in 2020, the NAACP said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul -from whom Dukes administered that oath- said she was with the civil rights leader during her final days.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward, Editing by Franklin Paul)