Hempstead Village honors Hazel Dukes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On the day they honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Village of Hempstead officials also honored local civil rights leader Hazel Dukes as “a trailblazer,” who said she still has work to do.

New York State NAACP president Dukes, 90, of Manhattan and formerly of Roslyn Heights, was honored by the village and Mayor Waylyn Hobbs with a lifetime achievement award for her “lifetime of service fighting for justice and equality.”

Hobbs said the dedication was to show younger people “a living legend in Dukes” and honor her work pushing for civil rights.

“We have a saying, to give people flowers while they can still smell them,” Hobbs said. “We love her and appreciate the hard work she is still doing.”

Dukes addressed community leaders and residents Monday during Hempstead’s Martin Luther King celebration at Judea United Baptist Church, where she called for equal funding for public schools in Hempstead, urged residents to vote for their representatives and decried unfair housing practices and steering against minorities exposed by Newsday’s Long Island Divided reporting.

“I have achieved some things,” Dukes said.

She talked about her legacy, growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, and coming to Rosyln Heights and challenging the structure in Nassau County with attorney Frederick K. Brewington to elect Long Island’s first Black state representative, Assemb. Barbara Patton, followed by Hempstead Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby’s lawsuit to create council districts for equal representation.

“It’s good to be home,” Dukes said. “You wouldn’t have an Assembly seat here if it wasn’t for Hazel Dukes. I know the story. I have lived the story.”

Dukes said she never wanted to run for office  because she preferred to continue to speak freely and “raise hell.”

She said she has been working with the Hempstead NAACP to monitor funding in the Hempstead School District and budget, fighting for resources for public school students. She said Hempstead students should receive the same funding and services as more affluent communities and charter schools.

“As long as breath stays in my body, I will be your advocate,” Dukes said. “Where are the services for our children? I stand today for the children.”

Dukes called on inspiring the next generation to vote and lead the future like she did to help elect Black representatives, who must also be held accountable. She also noted how she helped get more Black professors hired at Hofstra and Adelphi University.

Dukes said she also fought for integration in Roslyn Heights, where she said the street where she lived will soon be renamed in her honor by North Hempstead officials following her 91st birthday.

“Don’t let nobody tell you what you can’t achieve,” Dukes said.

Dukes said she looks at her work leading to progress for African Americans elected to various offices from the Nassau County Legislature to the presidency.

She said if students get the resources they need, they can flourish to be future leaders.

“It means the doors I kicked open working in Nassau County have paid off … I’ve seen the fruits of my work and the seeds I’ve planted,” Dukes said. “We can march and protest, but you need people sitting at the table, making policy affecting lives equally.” 

She said the struggle for equal civil rights is not over, citing a housing shortage, opposition by communities for new development and bias by real estate agents against African Americans and Hispanics.

“We’re not there yet,” Dukes said. “You’ve got to make it right. I’m not trying to change people’s hearts, but I’m trying to make them abide by the law of the land. We should not have steering in Nassau County by real estate brokers … Don’t say that’s the only place in Nassau County that you can live by the color of your skin.”

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.