A longtime trailblazer for civil rights, Dr. Frances Pratt, was given a key to Rockland County Friday.

Dr. Pratt was honored for her service as president of the Nyack Branch of the NAACP for 40 years. She recently stepped down from the position, in which she earned countless awards, along with an induction to the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

"Don't let anyone confuse your destiny or your gifts," she said. "Use your talents to enhance your own self and don't be disturbed by people who try to put you down."

Pratt grew up in rural South Carolina. When her mom became ill, she dropped out of college to help her family and took a job in New York. She would eventually go back to school, earn her Ph.D., and become the first African American head nurse of the Nyack Emergency Room.

"'You can make it,' my uncle used to say. 'You can make it if you try,'" she said.

Through Sunday families can enjoy a film about Pratt's love of hats and civil rights leadership.