Leonard Alkins, a longtime face of the NAACP Boston Branch with a four-decade career working in the Legislature, died of cancer Sunday, according to former Boston NAACP President Michael Curry,

“He understood that leadership isn’t always just about conflict, it’s also about relationships. And he masterfully used both tools well,” Curry said. “One particular thing marked his leadership. He let you fall down. He let you make mistakes. But he always picked you up. He had this leadership style that said, ‘Hey, I want you to learn how to do this stuff. I want you to figure it out as you go, and I always got your back.’”

Mr. Alkins began working for the state Senate in 1962, according to a biography written when he was honored with the Boston Branch’s Distinguished Service Award in 2008.

The Brockton resident went on to serve as an aide to the Senate majority leader (1965-1970), legislative assistant and administrative assistant to Senate President Kevin Harrington (1971-1978), and clerk of the Committees on Rules of the two branches until 2002.

He was elected president of the NAACP Boston Branch in 1995.

An obituary for Mr. Alkins featuring a poem by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr. has been posted to the website for the Floyd A. Williams Funeral Home in Dorchester (floydawilliamsfunearlhome.com).