Ap 17235817794857 Hm Dukes

Hazel N. Dukes, president of the NAACP’s New York State conference, and past national president of the NAACP, in New York, Aug. 23, 2017.

AP Photo / Craig Ruttle

Race and Ethnicity writer Kat Stafford landed an exclusive interview with civil rights figure Hazel Dukes on Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, a first for a Black woman. Dukes, who seconded Chisholm’s nomination, set the tone for Stafford’s multiformat piece, offering an exclusive window into how Chisholm’s legacy folded into the historic vice presidential nomination of Kamala Harris.

The timing of the story and Stafford’s inclusion of other key, relevant voices helped set up AP’s coverage of Harris’ remarks to the Democratic convention and elevated the voices of Black women during the DNC. The piece was accompanied by “Inspiring Women,” a video that Stafford narrated.