Ben Jealous

History shows us how to stop a blacklist: solidarity! Read about it here: https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/09/30/colbert-kimmel-martin-luther-king-jr-1960s-blacklist-era-ben-jealous

Bill Moyers was my childhood journalism hero. I read his book The Secret Government as a kid and continued to be guided by his influence into adulthood. Always generous with his wisdom, he gave me good advice when I was national president of the NAACP. We've lost a great patriot and powerful voice for truth. Rest in power my friend.

Hazel Dukes was a force. An organizer, a bridge builder, a fighter for justice. But if you marched with her, if you stood beside her in the struggle, you knew that her greatest strength wasn’t just her power. It was her warmth.

I’ll always remember her smile. The way she smiled at young people, lifting them up and making them believe they belonged. The way she smiled at elders, checking in, making sure they were cared for. The way she smiled at me, offering reassurance, strength, and that unshakable belief that we were on the right path.

Without Hazel, I wouldn’t have become the youngest president of the NAACP. Her faith in me was one of the greatest honors of my life.

Her passing is a profound loss, but her legacy lives on in all of us who keep marching.

Read my tribute to Hazel at the 🔗