[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF DR. DOROTHY IRENE HEIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2010

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, today we mourn the loss of Dr. Dorothy 
Height, a true American hero, who worked tirelessly throughout her 98 
years to make the world better as a leader, activist, and counselor in 
the civil rights and women's rights movements. In 2004, I was 
privileged to support legislation that honored Dr. Height with the 
Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can bestow. Dr. 
Height led a remarkable life and made a significant difference in the 
lives of so many others.
  After earning degrees at New York University, Dr. Height joined the 
staff of the Harlem YMCA. There she met human rights activists First 
Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Her encounter 
with Dr. Bethune led to Dr. Height's involvement with the National 
Council of Negro Women (NCNW), an organization she would come to lead 
as president for four decades. Dr. Height was a tremendous mediator and 
minister during times of great civil rights strife, such as after the 
1935 riots in Harlem and then again in 1963, at the request of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., she traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, after a 
bomb killed four African American girls in a church.
  Called the queen of the civil rights movement, Dr. Height was often 
the only woman at key moments in civil rights history and we are 
indebted to her for keeping women's rights and equality in the fore. 
During her tenure with NCNW, Dr. Height instituted programs to 
establish dialogue between interracial groups of women, to expand 
business ownership by women, to celebrate women's history at the 
Bethune Museum and Archives, and to monitor human rights around the 
world.
  In addition to her efforts to overcome racial prejudices and for full 
voting rights of all, she also fought for school desegregation, for 
access to decent housing, and for better employment opportunities. It 
seems only fitting that we honor the legacy of Dr. Height on Equal Pay 
Day, a day each April intended to bring awareness to the inequalities 
that still exist in our society. Dr. Height was at the White House 
ceremony when President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act and was there 
again when President Clinton marked the 35th anniversary of the 
legislation.
  Dr. Height was apt to tell her colleagues at NCNW to continue their 
efforts to address issues of social concern. In gratitude for 
everything she has done, we are inspired to continue with her life's 
dedication to expand civil rights and equality for all.

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