[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2687-H2692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEMORIALIZING DOROTHY HEIGHT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is
recognized for 60 minutes.
General Leave
Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
exclude extraneous materials on the subject of memorializing Dorothy
Height.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, we come with heavy hearts today to
memorialize a woman who made such a great impact on us who passed away
early this morning.
Dorothy Height was a founding matriarch of the American civil rights
movement whose crusade for racial justice and gender equality spanned
more
[[Page H2688]]
than six decades. She fought for equal rights for both American
Americans and women. She was among the coalition of African American
leaders who pushed civil rights to the center of the American political
stage after World War II and she was a key figure in the struggle for
school desegregation, voting rights, employment opportunities, and
public accommodations in the fifties and the sixties.
In high school, Dorothy was awarded a scholarship to Barnard College
for her oratory skills, yet upon arrival she was denied entrance. At
the time, Barnard admitted only two African Americans per academic
year, and Height had arrived after the other two had already been
admitted. At its 1980 commencement ceremonies, Barnard College awarded
Height its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction. She also
went to New York University and received a master's degree in
educational psychology and eventually became the recipient of no fewer
than 36 honorary doctorates.
Dr. Dorothy Height began her career as a caseworker for the New York
City Welfare Department. In 1944, Dr. Height joined the national staff
of the YWCA and she was instrumental in bringing about an interracial
charter for YWCAs in 1946.
Dr. Height also served as National President of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority from 1946 to 1947 and developed leadership training programs
and interracial and ecumenical education programs.
In 1957, Dr. Dorothy Height was named President of the National
Council of Negro Women, a position she held for 40 years, in which she
emphasized self-help and self-reliance, including programs in
nutrition, childcare, housing, and career counseling.
During civil rights struggles in the 1960s, Dr. Dorothy Height helped
orchestrate strategy with movement leaders, including Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, A. Phillip Randolph, Whitney
Young, James Farmer, Bayard Rustin, and John Lewis.
During the 1960s, Dr. Dorothy Height organized ``Wednesdays in
Mississippi,'' which brought together black and white women from the
North and South to create a dialogue of understanding.
In the mid-1960s, Dr. Height wrote a column entitled ``A Woman's
Word'' for the weekly African American newspaper, the New York
Amsterdam News.
{time} 2150
In the 1970s and 1980s, the National Council of Negro Women helped
organize and operate development projects in African countries. Because
of her experience and depth of knowledge, she later served on a number
of committees, including as a consultant on African affairs to the
Secretary of State, on the President's Committee on the Employment of
the Handicapped, and on the President's Committee on the Status of
Women.
In 1974, Dr. Height was named to the National Council for the
Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research,
which published the Belmont Report, which was a response to the
infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study and an international ethical
touchstone for researchers to this day.
American leaders regularly took her counsel, including First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt. Dr. Height also encouraged President Dwight D.
Eisenhower to desegregate schools and President Lyndon B. Johnson to
appoint African American women to positions in government.
I remember her telling me a story that the location of her office and
their office building right now down on 7th Street, where you can see
the Capitol in the background, was the last place that they retrieved
two young African sisters who were running away from slavery. They
brought them back and sold them off of the spot which is an historical
preservative for her National Conference of Negro Women. What irony.
She was that great lady who could see into the future, and I think that
property just beckoned to her.
When she turned 90 years old, I was there at her birthday celebration
here in Washington, D.C. They had purchased property that was very,
very expensive, but they were able to get it for $8 million. Oprah
Winfrey came, and she said, I understand that you owe $5 million. She
said, Well, I have something with me that I think will help you. She
gave a check for $2.5 million. Now deduct that from the $5 million.
Then she proceeded that evening to go around the room and get those who
were lobbyists, those who were advocates, to commit to paying off the
balance. Within a few months' time, every penny of that property was
paid for.
What a story.
It used to be Sears, the headquarters for Sears. As you know, that's
in Chicago now, but the history of the property and where she still
went when she was able to get there was the place they sold the last
two young African women into slavery. I thought it was important to let
you know the spiritual impact, the special gifts that she had for using
her judgment to make the right decisions.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, which is the Nation's highest civilian honor. The musical
stage play, ``If This Hat Could Talk,'' is based on her memoirs. ``Open
Wide the Freedom Gates'' is the name of her book of memories. It
showcases her unique perspective on civil rights movements, and it
details many of the behind-the-scenes figures and mentors who shaped
her life.
My mother is now 100. I am reminded that my grandmother, her mother,
used to sit us down at her feet. Because most of the history of Africa
is Aro, she used to tell us these stories of Mary McLeod Bethune. Mary
McLeod Bethune, out of Florida, started the first college for colored
girls. My grandmother used to talk about her all the time. I finally
found out that she went to school with Mary McLeod Bethune when she
lived and had her first child in Florida, and so I always thought that
Mary McLeod Bethune was an aunt. I was so disappointed when I found out
she wasn't related. She talked about the line of Judah. That was Haile
Selassie, and they feel that most black people were descendants of
Haile Selassie. My grandmother talked about Mrs. Roosevelt. She also
talked about Marcus Garvey and that back-to-Africa movement.
All of these were powerful figures in the history of black people
here in America. So, when we would see Dr. Height, regardless of how
ill she was--but her mind was sharp--she would bring forth this history
that we could only read about.
Dorothy Height had served on the advisory council of the White House
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and on the
National Advisory Council on Aging. Wasn't that wonderful. She lived to
98. She passed this morning.
On March 24, 2004, her 92nd birthday, she received the Congressional
Gold Medal, the highest decoration Congress can bestow, and I am so
proud to say that I was the author of the bill that gave her the Gold
Medal. As I circulated around these Chambers, I went to that side of
the aisle and would sit next to various Members and would tell them, I
am carrying the Gold Medal bill for Dr. Dorothy Height.
They would ask, Who is Dr. Dorothy Height?
I'd get very quiet, and I'd say, I'm going to tell you who she is,
but you'd better not let other people know you don't know who Dorothy
Height is. She proceeded Rosa Parks, and she was 19 years old when Mary
McLeod Bethune handed her the mantle of leadership. She took it at age
19 and held it until her demise. Of course she had to have other people
take over after she retired.
I knew her story because my grandmother related it to me. She started
telling me about it when I was 3 years old. My sister, 18 months older
than I, would have to sit there, too. She is deceased now. My
grandmother read us the newspaper. She could have read it upside down,
sideways or bottom up, but I remembered what she said because,
traditionally, the story of our history was Aro, and that's why I took
great pride after I entered these most honored Chambers to pay tribute
to a woman who is part of all of our history.
Dr. Dorothy Height was the chairperson of the Executive Committee on
the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the largest civil rights
organization in the United States of America. Dr. Dorothy Height was an
honored guest and was seated among the dignitaries at the inauguration
of our current President, Barack Obama, on January 20, 2009.
[[Page H2689]]
{time} 2200
She helped create and organize the Black Family Reunion celebration
held annually since 1985. These gatherings were intended to honor the
traditions, the strengths, and the history of African American
families, while seeking solutions to such social problems as teen
pregnancy, drug abuse, and violence. She attended these National Black
Family Reunions celebrated on the National Mall in Washington, DC,
every year until her death this morning.
Her death was something that we all feel so terrible about. We mourn
her loss, but she leaves us a great legacy; and we all stand on her
shoulders. She had the insight to keep our families together. Because
when we were kidnapped off of the continent, when they brought us here
to America, they separated husband and wife and took the babies away
from their mothers' breasts and sold them for more property. And she
knew that strength was with unity. And when you can bring families
together, then you can be empowered.
So we owe so much to Dr. Dorothy Height. And we pay tribute to her
strength, her vision, her dedication, and her brilliance. Her voice
will never die out. We will continue to hear it when we talk about
equality and justice and opportunity and fairness.
With that, Madam Speaker, I would like to call up the most
distinguished Member of Congress from Los Angeles, Maxine Waters, for
as much time as she might consume.
Ms. WATERS. Thank you very, very much Congresswoman Diane Watson.
Thank you for taking out this hour to remember Dr. Dorothy Height. I
appreciate the fact that you not only organized this time, but you
understood how important it is for all of us who knew her, who loved
her, who worked with her to just stop and remember her in this very,
very special way.
When I learned of her death, I immediately thought about March 24,
2004. That is when she received the great recognition from the Congress
of the United States, receiving the Gold Medal, the highest civilian
award that can be given to a United States citizen. I remembered that
because when that ceremony took place I remember watching her and
reflecting on all that she had done for this country.
I remember not only the fact that she was the one woman in the civil
rights movement that was dominated by men who sat in on the discussions
about the civil rights legislation, the voting rights legislation, and
this was at a time when women were not welcomed at the helm of the
civil rights movement, but Dorothy Height was a very special woman. And
I am sure that no matter what some of the men thought, they couldn't
have turned her down because of her special way of handling situations.
She was a highly cultured woman, articulate, refined, and always able
to help temper situations that could be explosive. So Dorothy Height
had a way of not only managing herself, but managing those around her.
I heard Congresswoman Watson as I was coming in talking about the
Black Family Reunions. And they stand out as part of her tremendous
work. At a time when black families were being demonized, being talked
about as dysfunctional, she not only showed that we are a people who
care and love our families, but we came out to these great reunions in
very special ways. I remember seeing young black males carrying their
babies, and I remember seeing young children being held by the hand by
their grandmothers. So the mothers and the fathers, the sisters and the
brothers, the uncles and the aunts, everybody came out to these
tremendous family reunions. And I can recall not only attending in
Washington, DC, but in my hometown of Los Angeles. I was there with
Dorothy Height, number one, because I respected her, I admired her; but
she expected me to be there.
We were friends for many, many years, dating back to our struggles in
the Carter administration, when we had created the International
Women's Year. And we all convened in Houston, Texas, to create the
Women's Commission that was appointed by Carter. I was there as a young
woman long before I came on the national scene and helped to organize
on that floor the final statements that we delivered to President
Carter that created the National Women's Commission.
As a matter of fact, Dorothy Height has been at the center of every
significant development on behalf of women. Not only did she work in
the civil rights movement, she worked for women. And she has been there
in those struggles working with the National Organization for Women,
the National Women's Political Caucus, all of those organizations that
sprung up when we finally began to realize that we had power and we
could exercise power and influence not only in helping to advance women
in this country, but advance public policy as it related to women and
families.
So Dr. Dorothy Height, who sat at the foot of Mary McLeod Bethune,
the greatest educator that ever involved herself in education in this
country, had a great impact on Dorothy Height. And Dorothy Height was a
big supporter of education. And she often told of the stories of Dr.
Mary McLeod Bethune. She often shared with us the very special moments
she had with her and the kind of influence that she had on her and her
leadership.
So she is gone. And there are those who are asking who is going to
take her place. Well, no one can really take her place. There is no
other and will be no other like Dorothy Height. Of course there are
many brilliant women. There are visionary women. There are articulate
women. There are women who can manage at the highest levels. But you
can't replicate Dorothy Height. We can hope that someone takes her
place who will honor the contributions that she has made and give
leadership to the National Council of Negro Women in a manner that she
would be proud of, but no one can actually take her place.
I stand here this evening to say that Dorothy Height not only was
special and one of a kind; I loved her. I honor the time that I was
able to spend with her. I honor the birthday celebrations that I was
able to go to. I honor the times that she attended all of the chapter
meetings across this country and I happened to be in some city or some
State where she was where I attended those chapter meetings. I honor
having known her because I think it certainly gave me not only insight
into what she was all about, but the inspiration that she provided for
me and the lessons that I learned from her.
So this evening I simply say that we wish her journey to heaven to be
the kind of journey where she will certainly rest in peace and get the
rest that she so richly deserves. But we want her family to know, and
all of those who perhaps didn't know her, how much she has meant not
only to women and to the civil rights movement, but to this country.
And we want to honor her in this very, very special way on the floor of
Congress so that it will be recorded in the Congressional Record,
adding to all of the other ways that she will be etched into the
history of this country and this world.
Thank you, Dorothy, for having served. Thank you for having led us.
Thank you for having been the kind of public servant who helped this
country to be a better country.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WATSON. I want to thank you, Representative Waters, for your
association over the years with her and following in her footsteps. You
know, we all joined hands together because I think those family
reunions were a very special moment in our communities.
{time} 2210
And we remind each other of the importance of our family bonds, and
we show this country that we can stay together and our families are not
dysfunctional. And that's what she stood for. And so I thank you for
your words this evening.
And I have asked that all of these statements be recorded. And as we
close out this late hour, I just want to say that we have had the
privilege to live at a time when such a great, great woman whose
ancestry emanated from what we call the Dark Continent, lived among us,
taught among us, and touched us all. May God rest her soul.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, today we lost an American
[[Page H2690]]
treasure with the passing of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, a matriarch of
the civil rights movement, a staunch advocate for women's rights, and
an all-around phenomenal woman.
Dr. Height was a bold and brilliant African American woman who blazed
many trials and opened many doors to the American Dream for women and
people of color. Tonight I join with people around the world as we
mourn the death and celebrate the life of Dr. Height.
Throughout her life, Dr. Height wore many hats, both literally and
figuratively. She wore them with elegance and dignity, with excellence
and determination. From her legendary stewardship as the national
president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority to her unprecedented 41-year
tenure at the helm of the National Council of Negro Women, Dr. Height
was a woman of courage and strength.
Dr. Height's commitment to equality was reflected in so many of her
pursuits. In the 1930s, for example, Dr. Height traveled across the
United States to encourage YWCA chapters to implement interracial
charters. After dedicating more than 60 years of her life to the YWCA,
Dr. Height remained proudest of her efforts to direct the YWCA's
attention to the issues of civil rights and racial justice. She was
committed to this work. In fact, Dr. Height was the first director of
its new Center for Racial Justice. This was in 1965. I believe it was
in New York. Imagine, though, the resistance that she felt and that she
was faced with in her efforts to desegregate the YWCA in the 1930s.
As the leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of North
America, Dr. Height worked to desegregate the Armed Forces, prevent
lynching, reform the criminal justice system, and establish free access
to public accommodations. At a time when racial segregation was the
standard and resistance to integration was often very fierce, Dr.
Height forever remained true to her convictions, even when it was not
the comfortable thing to do.
A lifelong advocate for peace, equality, and justice, Dr. Height was
especially committed to empowering women and girls. She stood toe to
toe with the great male civil rights giants of our time, steadfast in
her dedication to ensure that black women's needs were addressed. She
was forever dedicated to helping women achieve full and equal
employment, pay, and education.
Dr. Height was instrumental in establishing a multicultural
``Wednesdays in Mississippi.'' This was a program to assist freedom
schools and voter registration drives. She knew that the fight for
racial justice and for women's equality go hand in hand.
As the national president of the National Council of Negro Women, Dr.
Height led the NCNW in helping women and families combat hunger. She
also established the Women's Center for Education and Career
Achievement in New York City to prepare women for entry into jobs and
careers. During her tenure as president of NCNW, they were able to buy
a beautiful building just a few blocks from here on Pennsylvania
Avenue. And to this day it is the only African American-owned building
on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is on the site where slave traders
legally operated a center slave market, and where in 1848, 76 slaves,
including Emily and Mary Edmondson, attempted to escape to the
Underground Railroad.
Dr. Height said, and this is Dr. Height's quote, she said, ``It seems
providential that we stand today on the shoulders of our ancestors with
an opportunity to claim the site and sustain a strong presence for
freedom and for justice.''
I tell you Dr. Height remained a fighter until her last breath. Last
year she attended President Barack Obama's first signing of the Lilly
Ledbetter Act, his first bill he signed into law. She was present here
for the unveiling of the Shirley Chisolm portrait and the bust of
Sojourner Truth here in the Capitol. She worked diligently on various
issues with the Black Women's Roundtable and the Black Leadership Forum
and often participated in panels here on Capitol Hill. Just recently,
she joined us in our efforts to support the 2010 census. We always knew
that we were in the presence of greatness. And we always knew,
especially now as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, that Dr.
Height, when we called, she would be there to support us.
We mourn the loss tonight of Dr. Height. We celebrate her life and
her legacy. We love you, Dr. Height, and we promise to continue your
legacy of service to humankind. May your soul rest in peace.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I to pay tribute to a
national treasure and icon who passed early this morning. I am
speaking, of course, of the incomparable, irrepressible, and legendary
Dorothy Irene Height. For more than half a century, Dorothy Height has
played a leading role in the never-ending struggle for equality and
human rights here at home and around the world. Her life exemplifies
her passionate commitment for a just society and her vision of a better
world.
Dorothy Height was born in Richmond, Virginia March 24, 1912, and
educated in the public schools of Rankin, Pennsylvania, a borough of
Pittsburgh, where her family moved when she was four. She established
herself early as a dedicated student with exceptional oratorical
skills. After winning a $1,000 scholarship in a national oratorical
contest on the United States Constitution, sponsored by the Fraternal
Order of the Elks, and a compiling a distinguished academic record, she
enrolled in New York University where she earned both her bachelor and
master's degrees in just four years. She continued her postgraduate
studies at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work.
In 1933, Dorothy Height joined the United Christian Youth Movement of
North America where her leadership qualities earned her the trust and
confidence of her peers. It was during this period that she began to
emerge as an effective civil rights advocate as she worked to prevent
lynching, desegregate the armed forces, reform the criminal justice
system, and provide free access to public accommodations. In 1935,
Dorothy Height was appointed by New York government officials to deal
with the aftermath of the Harlem riot of 1935.
As Vice President of the United Christian Youth Movement of North
America, Dorothy Height was one of only ten American youth delegates to
the 1937 World Conference on Life and Work of the Churches held in
Oxford, England. Two years later she was selected to represent the YWCA
at the World Conference of Christian Youth in Amsterdam, Holland.
It was in 1937, while serving as Assistant Executive Director of the
Harlem YWCA, that Dorothy Height met Mary McLeod Bethune, founder and
president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Mrs. Bethune
was immediately impressed with young Dorothy Height's poise and
intelligence and invited her to join the NCNW and assist in the quest
for women's rights to full and equal employment, pay and education.
In 1938, Dorothy Height was one of ten young Americans invited by
Eleanor Roosevelt to come to Hyde Park NY to help plan and prepare for
the World Youth Conference to be held at Vassar College.
For the next several years, Dorothy Height served in a dual role: as
a YWCA staff member and NCNW volunteer, integrating her training as a
social worker and her commitment to rise above the limitations of race
and sex. She rose quickly through the ranks of the YWCA, from working
at the Emma Ransom House in Harlem to the Executive Directorship of the
Phyllis Wheatley YWCA in Washington, DC to the YWCA National
headquarters office.
For thirty-three years, from 1944 through 1977, Dorothy Height served
on the staff of the National Board of the YWCA and held several
leadership positions in public affairs and leadership training and as
Director of the National YWCA School for Professional Workers. In 1965,
she was named Director of the Center for Racial Justice, a position she
held until her retirement.
In 1952, Dorothy Height lived in India, where she worked as a
visiting professor in the Delhi School of Social Work at the University
of Delhi, which was founded by the YWCAs of India, Burma and Ceylon.
She would become renowned for her internationalism and humanitarianism.
She traveled around the world expanding the work of the YWCA. She
conducted a well-received study of the training of women's
organizations in five African countries: Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra
Leone, and Nigeria under the Committee of Correspondence.
Dorothy Height loved and led her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. She was
elected National President of the sorority in 1947 and served in that
capacity until 1956. She led the sorority to a new level of
organizational development, initiation eligibility, and social action
throughout her term. Her leadership training skills, social work
background and knowledge of volunteerism benefited the sorority as it
moved into a new era of activism on the national and international
scene.
In 1957, Dorothy Height was elected the fourth National President of
NCNW and
[[Page H2691]]
served in that position for 40 years, when she became Chair of the
Board and President Emerita.
In 1960, Dorothy Height was the woman team member leader in the
United Civil Rights Leadership along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins and
John Lewis. In 1961, while Dorothy Height was participating in major
Civil Rights leadership, she led NCNW to deal with unmet needs among
women and their families to combat hunger, develop cooperative pig
banks, provided families with community freezers and showers.
In 1964, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Dorothy Height
with Polly Cowan, an NCNW Board Member, organized teams of women of
different races and faith as ``Wednesdays in Mississippi'' to assist in
the freedom schools and open communication between women of difference
races. The workshops which followed stressed the need for decent
housing which became the basis for NCNW in partnership with the
Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop Turnkey III Home
Ownership for low income families in Gulfport, Mississippi.
In 1970, Dorothy Height directed the series of activities culminating
in the YWCA Convention adopting as its ``One Imperative'' to the
elimination of racism. That same year she also established the Women's
Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City to prepare
women for entry level jobs. This experience led her in 1975 to
collaborate with Pace College to establish a course of study leading to
the Associate Degree for Professional Studies (AAPS).
In 1975, Dorothy Height participated in the Tribunal at the
International Women's Year Conference of the United Nations in Mexico
City. As a result of this experience, NCNW was awarded a grant from the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hold a
conference within the conference for women from the United States,
African countries, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean. This was
followed with a site visit with 50 of the women to visit with rural
women in Mississippi. Under the auspices of the USAID, Dorothy Height
lectured in South Africa after addressing the National Convention of
the Black Women's Federation of South Africa near Johannesburg (1977).
Since 1986, she has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Black family.
Madam Speaker, under the leadership of Dorothy Height:
NCNW achieved tax-exempt status in 1966;
NCNW dedicated the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park,
Washington D.C. in 1974; the first woman to be so honored on public
land in the Nation's Capital;
Developed model national and community-based programs ranging from
teen-age parenting to pig ``banks''--which addressed hunger in rural
areas;
Established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women, the
first institution devoted to black women's history;
Established the Bethune Council House as a national historic site;
Transformed NCNW into an issue-oriented political organization,
sponsoring ``Wednesdays in Mississippi'' when interracial groups of
women would help out at Freedom Schools; organizing voter registration
drives in the South; and fostering communications between black and
white women.
Established the Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986 to reinforce
the historic strengths and traditional values of the Black family.
Among the major awards bestowed upon Dorothy Irene Height in
gratitude and appreciation for her service to our nation and the world
are the following:
Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Bill Clinton;
Congressional Gold Medal presented by President George W. Bush;
John F. Kennedy Memorial Award;
NAACP--Spingarn Medal;
Hadassah Myrtle Wreath of Achievement;
Ministerial Interfaith Association Award;
Ladies Home Journal--Woman of the Year;
Congressional Black Caucus--Decades of Service;
President Ronald Reagan--Citizens Medal;
Franklin Roosevelt--Freedom Medal
Essence Award; and
The Camille Cosby World of Children Award.
Dorothy Height was also elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame
and is the recipient of thirty-six honorary degrees from colleges and
universities as diverse as: Tuskegee University, Harvard University,
Spelman College, Princeton University, Bennett College, Pace
University, Lincoln University, Columbia University, Howard University,
New York University, Morehouse College, and Meharry Medical College.
Madam Speaker, Dorothy Height has witnessed or participated in
virtually every major movement for social and political change in the
last century. For nearly 75 years, Dorothy Height has fought for the
equality and human rights of all people. She was the only female member
of the ``Big 6'' civil rights leaders (Whitney Young, Jr., A. Philip
Randolph, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins). Her
vision and dedication made NCNW the premier organization in advocating
for the health, education and economic empowerment for all women of
African descent around the world.
Thank you, Dorothy Height, for your service to our nation. You have
made America a better place for all persons of all races, religions, nd
backgrounds. You have mentored hundreds, been a role model to
thousands, and a hero to millions. You are an American original. I am
glad to count you as a friend.
Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my condolences on
the passing of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. Born March 24, 1912, in
Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Height went on to become one of the most
influential civil rights activists and a symbol of African American
advancement in the United States.
After graduating with a Master's degree in psychology from New York
University, Dr. Height continued her early career with postgraduate
work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work. In
her lifetime, she eventually received 36 Honorary Doctorate Degrees,
along with a plethora of awards in recognition of her outstanding work
in the field.
In 1937, she was invited to join the National Council of Negro Women
in her quest for women's rights to full and equal employment, pay and
education. This is when her career as civil rights activist began. She
fought for equal rights for both African Americans and women alongside
of the big six of the civil rights movement--Dr. Martin Luther King,
Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, and John
Lewis. She served in many leadership roles with prominent groups such
as the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Council of Negro
Women, and the YWCA.
Among her many awards, Dr. Height was awarded the Presidential
Citizens Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the
Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the US Congress--our nation's
highest honors bestowed upon extraordinary citizens like Dr. Height.
Dr. Height passed away on April 20, 2010. It is with deep sadness
that I offer my condolences to her family, friends, and to the many
lives touched by Dr. Height.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
recognize the life and achievements of a trailblazing civil rights
leader and dedicated American citizen, Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
Dr. Height was born on March 24, 1912 in Virginia and spent her
formative years in Pennsylvania. She completed a degree at New York
University in 1932 and a year later received a master's degree in
educational psychology. She would spend the rest of her life active in
the civil rights movement working diligently to ensure that every
American was treated equally and fairly.
As a natural leader, Dr. Height led the National Council of Negro
Women for forty years from 1957 to 1997. Her service and dedication to
both this organization and all African-Americans were tireless, and she
will forever be remembered as one of the most influential and important
women in the civil rights movement. In 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. gave his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech, Dr. Height stood
mere feet from him as he addressed the crowded mall that day. Four and
a half decades later, she would hear the echoes of the civil rights
movement resound in the inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first
African-American President. Truly, she saw some of the most famous and
unique events of the last century, many of which were due in large part
to her work and efforts.
Dr. Height was the recipient of countless awards throughout her
lifetime including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Congressional Gold Medal. She received 36 honorary doctorate degrees
from various universities across the country, and additionally, met,
spoke with, and offered counsel to Presidents from Eisenhower to Obama.
Madam Speaker, America and the world has lost a giant with the
passing of Dr. Dorothy Height. I will remember her as a woman of
conviction who fought and worked until her final days at 98 years old.
Truly, we have benefitted immensely because of her, and we owe her a
deep debt of gratitude for giving everything she could so that our
country might be better and fairer. I ask my fellow colleagues to join
me today in honoring her and remembering her dedication to the American
people.
Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in mourning of Dorothy
Height--a dynamic, resilient spirit who served as the matriarch and
female voice of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement--and in celebration of
a career that spanned eight decades, beginning as a teenager in the
budding United Christian Youth Movement. By her 20s, she was the
group's leader in campaigns against lynchings and
[[Page H2692]]
segregation in the Armed Forces, including a stint as the lead in
dealing with the outcome of the Harlem riot in 1935. Her meteoric rise
to influence came as president of the National Council of Negro Women
(NCNW), a post she retained for three decades. In an era of racial
tension and the march towards greater minority rights, Height set
herself apart as a pioneer, marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., A.
Phillip Randolph, and my esteemed colleague, Rep. John Lewis. Forty
years ago, she stood alongside King, a marble and limestone Lincoln,
and a reflecting pool, as he announced a dream he had of a more perfect
union. She not only stood at the precipice of history, she helped carve
out a significant and indelible part of it.
The cause of her life proved to be dealing with the unmet needs of
the downtrodden and forgotten. As president of NCNW, she focused on
improving the lot of women and their families, working tirelessly to
combat hunger and establish home ownership programs for those of low
income. After 30 years at the helm of NCNW, she became its chair and
never gave up the fight well into her late 90s. She recently met with
President Obama as part of a group of key African American leaders
meeting at the White House for a summit on race and the economy. In
1994, President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
and ten years later, this Richmond, Virginia native born to working-
class parents earned the highest civilian and most distinguished award
presented by this Congress, the Congressional Gold Medal.
Dorothy Height taught us all--women and men of all faiths and races--
to never relent in the struggle for equality. With a steel spine, grit,
and determination, she lent a powerful female voice to a movement that
needed her personal grace and perseverance. She had no tolerance for
sitting idly by or leaving the hard work for generations that followed,
famously noting that ``if the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the
time.'' May we carry that sentiment and her uplifting spirit as we face
the challenges that confront us as a nation. She will be missed, but
the power of her life's work will not: it will continue to inspire and
motivate us for generations to come.
Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the
legacy of Dr. Dorothy Height, who passed away this morning at the age
of 98. As one of the most significant figures of the Civil Rights
Movement, Dr. Dorothy Height was a true American heroine. Dr. Height
spent her entire life fighting injustice and discrimination, and, in
doing so, helped make our society more equitable and tolerant.
Dr. Dorothy Height was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1912, a setting
in which racism and sexism were the norm. However, Dr. Height did not
let this oppressive environment prevent her from following her dreams.
After being denied entrance to Barnard College due to a quota allowing
only two African-American students per class, she enrolled at New York
University, where she earned a Master's degree in educational
psychology.
Although Dr. Height began her career as a caseworker, she soon felt
called to the arena of social justice and joined the National Council
of Negro Women. In 1957, Dr. Height was elected President of the
National Council of Negro Women and proudly served in that post for 40
years. Dr. Height also served as the president of the historically
black Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, where she developed programs that
promoted education and leadership among African-American women.
Dr. Height is often referred to as the ``godmother of the Civil
Rights Movement `` due to her founding role in the Movement and her
consistent voice of guidance and inspiration in the fight against
discrimination. Dr. Height fought to desegregate public schools, obtain
voting rights for African-Americans, and ensure equality for women of
all races. Dr. Height marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King and gave
advice to Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson on civil
rights and women's rights issues.
Dr. Height's amazing and inspirational work has been honored by our
nation's most prestigious awards. In 1994, President Bill Clinton
awarded Dr. Height with the Medal of Freedom and in 2004, President
George W. Bush presented her with the Congressional Gold Medal. Dr.
Height has also received the Presidential Citizen Medal, the Franklin
Delano Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award, the Spingarn Medal from the
NAACP, and the 7th Annual Heinz Award Chairman's Medal.
Dr. Height never stopped fighting for justice and equality, and in
January 2009, Dr. Height was honored as a distinguished guest at the
inauguration of our nation's first African-American president.
Our country has lost a true leader and a beacon of social justice. I
extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Dorothy
Height, as they grieve the loss of this special individual. All
Americans mourn her loss, but we take solace in the certain knowledge
that our country is better because of her.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
incredible life and legacy of a great leader in the Civil Rights
Movement and a dear friend and neighbor, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who
passed away this morning, at the age of 98.
Dr. Height was always elegant, full of grace and poise, naturally
commanding attention. She led an extraordinary life fighting for civil
rights and women's rights. Her fight began when she was denied entrance
into college because the school had filled its annual quota of black
students, and she never gave up the fight.
Over the years, she continued the fight for justice and equality for
all Americans. In fact, Dr. Height was on stage at the Lincoln Memorial
with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he delivered his ``I Have a
Dream'' speech. She was in Birmingham, Alabama to comfort the families
of the four African-American girls who perished in the bombing of the
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. She watched as President John F.
Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act to eliminate wage disparity based on
sex. She also helped create and organize the Black Family Reunion
Celebration, and was among the few women present at the Million Man
March in 1995.
Throughout her life, she befriended countless people as she strove
for justice. Among her many friends were the American educator and
National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) founder Mary McLeod Bethune,
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Dr. King, to name a few.
Dr. Height also served as the Director of the YWCA's Center for
Racial Justice, as a visiting professor at the Delhi School of Social
Work in India, as National President of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority,
and as the fourth President of the NCNW. Her forty-year tenure as
President of the NCNW was the highlight of her distinguished career.
In addition to her tireless work for racial justice and gender
equality, she served on the advisory council of the White House
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the
National Advisory Council on Aging. Along with her 36 honorary
doctorates from colleges and universities, she is a recipient of the
Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Although she received many accolades, she did not put forth her best
efforts to achieve notoriety or fame. She said, ``Stop worrying about
whose name gets in the paper and start doing something . . . We must
try to take our task more seriously and ourselves more lightly.''
Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was a remarkable woman. Her years were long
as were her accomplishments. Leonardo da Vinci said, ``As a well-spent
day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.'' May
Dr. Height sleep happily now for a life well used.
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