Remembering the Legacy of Dr. Hazel Dukes
Governor Cuomo & Assembly Member Jordan J.G. Wright Spoke of Dr. Dukes’ Legacy Before Attending Her Funeral this Morning. You can listen to their remarks here.
Statement from Andrew M. Cuomo, the 56th Governor of the State of New York
“Hazel Dukes was a crusader, a firebrand, a powerful champion for justice in the fight for social, racial and economic justice.
“An Icon.
“She never backed down, she never gave up, but did so with grace and a smile that never concealed the strength and determination behind it.
"Hazel was also a mentor to me and a North Star always pointed toward what’s right and what’s just. I’ve known her since I was a teen. She was very close to my father, the late great Gov. Mario Cuomo, and thus I became close to her.
"She was a fighter who always fought the good fight, but always had a positive energy about her. These were serious, significant battles and cases she was involved with, but she was never angry, she was an inspiration.
"Her causes were my causes and the battles were rarely easy – but nothing worth fighting for ever is. No matter how bad the odds, or how bleak it looked, her advice was always the same: “Never step back, keep going, keep going. God has a plan.”
"I have such memories of her with my family through the years. I relied on her wisdom and her perspective. She said she considered me one of her sons, which to me is among the highest honors in this life.
There's a hole in my heart that's just not going to be filled. Bu -- in the days since she passed and, I suspect, in the days going forward, I will still hear her voice in my head saying what she always said: “never step back, keep going, keep going. God has a plan.”
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