Hazel Dukes Memorial Cover

Dr. Hazel Nell Dukes (March 17, 1932 - March 1, 2025) was the president of the New York State chapter of the NAACP and a lifelong civil rights advocate who fought tirelessly for voting rights, economic development, fair housing, and education. Dukes helped lay the foundation for Black women to ascend to the nation's highest offices. In 1972, she took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to second the presidential candidacy of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for the party's nomina-tion. Dukes was instrumental in former President Joe Biden's decision to choose Kamala Harris as his 2020 running mate. In 2023, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Dukes with the NAACP's highest honor - the Spingarn Medal.