[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      PERMITTING USE OF ROTUNDA OF CAPITOL FOR CEREMONY TO AWARD 
             CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO DR. DOROTHY HEIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 10, 2004

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today's resolution 
regarding the award of the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Dorothy 
Height reminds us in this age of cynicism that one person can truly 
make a difference in our society. I was pleased to cosponsor the 
legislation to award Dr. Height with the Congressional Gold Medal, and 
I am pleased to support this measure today. I have great admiration for 
Dr. Height, a living legend and pioneer of civil rights, women's 
rights, and racial justice.
  Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 1930s, Dr. Height gained 
prominence through her tireless efforts to promote interracial 
schooling, to register and educate voters, and to increase the 
visibility and status of women in our society.
  One of her many contributions was establishing Wednesdays in 
Mississippi, a unique project that brought together northern and 
southern women to get to know one another and work side-by-side for 
racial justice in the segregated south. That project lives on in that, 
today, the Children's Defense Fund has adopted the Wednesdays in 
Mississippi model for its innovative Wednesdays in Washington and at 
Home program, which enables advocates for children--especially poor, 
minority, and disabled children--to make their voices heard here in the 
nation's capital and across the country.
  As president of the National Council of Negro Women since 1957, she 
has helped establish model programs on issues ranging from teenage 
parenting to the eradication of hunger. She also established the Dr. 
Mary McLeod Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women, the first 
institution devoted to the history of black women.
  Her leadership in struggle for equality, social justice, and human 
rights for all peoples is an example for us all.

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