The NAACP closed out its 114th National Convention with an award presentation presided over by none other than former Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The former U.S. Senator from New York was in town Tuesday evening to catch the end of the week-long gathering, held this year in Boston for the first time in more than four decades. Clinton was asked to present the NAACP’s highest distinction, the Spingarn Medal, to lifelong civil rights advocate Hazel Dukes.
“I am delighted to have been asked to present tonight’s Spingarn Medal,” Clinton said, calling 91-year-old Dukes her “long-time friend.”
“Hazel has spent her entire life lifting up others in the pursuit of justice and equality. What a joy it is to celebrate her long history of public service and activism,” she said.
According to Clinton, Dukes has been a “trusted advisor” throughout her career, someone who she could count on to tell her the truth whether she wanted to hear it or not.
“We have made and lived history together, although she was doing both a long time before we met,” Clinton said.
Dukes spoke after the former U.S. Senator laid the NAACP’s highest award on her neck, dedicating the mass of her address to the many people who she has worked alongside in the civil rights movement over the last five decades.
“It is my hope that my accomplishments have had an impact on society and the lives of so many. As I often say, if I can help someone as I travel along this way, then my living shall not have been in vain,” Dukes said. “I want to leave you tonight — by god, grace, and mercy — I want you to know: I’m not tired yet.”
Dukes is currently a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors and its Executive Committee and has served as the president of the organization’s New York State Conference for decades.
According to the association, Dukes earned the award following “her years of transformative advocacy and brave leadership.” More than one speaker referred to ‘Mama’ Dukes as a “living legend.”
“Dr. Dukes’ tireless pursuit of justice has been a beacon to our network of activists,” NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson. “She serves as an outstanding role model, not only for myself, but for the next generation of Black activists.”
Previous Spingarn Medal recipients include Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, and W. E. B. Du Bois. The award is named after former NAACP Board of Directors Chairman Joel Spingarn, who established an annual association presentation for remarkable achievement in 1914.
Dukes, in 1997, was temporarily voted off the NAACP’s Board of Directors after she admitted to embezzling $13,000 from a sick colleague.