Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at the Funeral Service of Dr. Hazel N. Dukes

Earlier today, Governor Hochul delivered remarks at the funeral service of Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, the longtime New York civil rights leader who died March 1 at the age of 92. As former president of the New York State NAACP, Dr. Dukes fought for racial justice, education reform, and voting rights, becoming a prominent advocate for the African American community.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

 Well, thank you, Hazel, for putting me in this order. I thought you liked me and you put me after one of the greatest orators our nation has ever seen, our great secretary, Hillary Clinton. But I come to say this. Praise be to God and thank you for giving us Dr. Hazel Dukes.

What an extraordinary gift. Her life was a gift to all of us. And I knew her over years, but we really deepened our relationship. It was actually a time of great sorrow for me, just a couple of months after I lost my mother to ALS and I'd just become a statewide candidate. And I knew I wanted my mom to see that accomplishment.

I sat down with Hazel. Guess where? Sylvia's. We sat there and ate biscuits all day long – developing a lifelong addiction for me. And I told her about my mom. She wanted to hear her story. And I said, “You know, people don't know this, but my mom and dad started in great poverty. They lived in a trailer park. Dad worked at the steel plant with his own father. My grandpa had started as a migrant farm worker out in South Dakota because they wouldn't hire the Irish.”

And she didn't know my family's struggles. But I also said, despite their struggles and this huge Irish Catholic family, my mom took me and the other kids to all the civil rights marches in the 60s.

And when Dr. King was assassinated, I was a 10 year old – I knew his story because my mother had me read his life story up until that point. So it was my mother who instilled in me this sense of righteousness and the fight for justice. And when she heard that story, she took my hand and she says, “I'll be your mother. I'll be your mother.”

Now, it meant a lot to me, but I didn't know that I now had about a thousand siblings. Because apparently she's the mother to everybody. Anybody here not Hazel's child? Ronald, I'm sorry. There's a whole lot of us. You have the biggest family in history. So, although in my office, Stacy Lynch likes to say she's the favorite.

So we have a little rough and tumble there, but, you know, it takes a special kind of love and compassion to take someone that you knew, but not well and embrace her and call her your family – not just in name, but in how she treated me. And as the secretary alluded to, she didn't hold back. She didn't give me as good fashion advice, but she told me everything I needed to do.

And she often came to my office with an entourage of people. Everybody needed something. Every time they walked out, my pocket was dramatically lighter. She had that way about her. Same thing with Reverend Al. I don't know if he's back here, but am I right about that?

Choose Healthy Life, and I believe in this cause. I mean, you have convinced me, but there's so many times I just welcomed you and I said, “This is going to cost us.” But she had so much love and compassion. She was always there for me during some challenging times as well.

That's what she was known for, Hillary. She didn't give up on her friends. When she embraced you, she was there. Even when others are attacking. She's your best defender. And if you want, you will win any fight if you have Hazel Dukes on your side.

I know she was touched when I asked her if she would be the first civilian ever to swear in a Governor, as the first female governor ever elected, and I thought, “I want Hazel to do this. I want Hazel to do this.” But, it was an interesting moment. I had my little eight-month-old granddaughter – first time grandma, I was very proud – she's up on the stage in my son's arms, we're getting that great photo shot, right?

Hazel comes up and has that loud voice that just bellows out. And the baby shrieks and starts screaming, having a Class-A meltdown. So she's not in any of my photos because their son had to take her off to the side. I have since forgiven Hazel for that. We have photoshopped the baby into the pictures. And now she's almost three and I wish she could have known Hazel.

I wish she could have held her and touched her, because Hazel was family to me. So, she was also so proud when I named a fellowship after her at SUNY just a couple years ago. She was really proud of that.

Now, for some, that's a nice honor – okay, thank you very much, I'll hang it on my wall. She wanted to know every single person who was named a fellow. They now became my siblings, as well, because they were her children. She invested her energy, even just over the last few years, she invested in these people.

She said, “This is the future.” She cared so much about passing on the torch to the next generation. That was everything to her. So there are thousands of people whose lives have been touched – who, yes, may be my age – but more importantly, many, many younger. And that gives me strength and courage to know that we have others prepared to take on the fights.

That was Hazel's legacy as well. So she was a gift from God. We are far worse off without her, but we are far better for having had her in our lives. We know that. We know that. Two days before she passed, I went to her apartment. She was fairly weak, but she grabbed my hand. She's got tough hands.

And, she looked at me with those still really intense eyes. You know, she has those piercing eyes. She looks at me and she says, “I love you.” I said, “I love you too, Mama.” She says, “You be strong. And you don't give up the fight. You carry on.” And I said, “Mama Dukes, I will carry on that fight. I will be your voice as we take on all the insanity coming out of Washington. The chaos, the attacks on our people, on our health care, Medicare, Social Security, our children, our education, child care. I will be there to take on the fight.”

So I am even more motivated and feel morally compelled to channel her voice – as everyone in this room does as well. This is a moral responsibility on all of our shoulders. She put that guilt on all of us. You know how moms can guilt kids into things? I'm a mom; I did that too. It's very effective. Ask my kids.

We have that moral responsibility now. And as the place that was the birthplace of the Women's Rights Movement here in New York, she is in that long line as you, Reverend, you went through the history. You told everyone. The stories of others. And yes, Hazel Dukes will be among them.

And if I have my way, I will make sure that her image is on the staircase, the Million Dollar Staircase in Albany, as we honor the great people of history. I want to see Hazel Dukes in that Capitol. I want her there. I want her looking down on everyone, and we'll never forget her influence for as long as that building stands.

Thank you, everyone. Thank you, and God bless Hazel Dukes.