[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN COMMEMORATION AND HONOR OF DR. DOROTHY IRENE HEIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 2010

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
life of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who passed away on April 20, 2010. 
Dr. Height was a noble woman who devoted her life to the service of 
others and for the advancement of civil liberty and freedom for all.
  After earning her bachelors and masters degrees from New York 
University, Dr. Height started her career as a caseworker for the New 
York City Welfare Department. Possessing an audacious and strong 
spirit, Dr. Height helped fuel the civil rights movement as an activist 
with the National Council of Negro Women. She made it her life's work 
to fight for civil equality for African-Americans and women of all 
colors.
  Dr. Height worked vigorously for the NCNW for more than 60 years. 
During her tenure, she served as the chair and president emerita of the 
NCNW, and worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Congressman 
John Lewis and A. Philip Randolph. Dr. Height was among the few 
fortunate people to have stood on the platform when Dr. King delivered 
his ``I Have a Dream'' speech in 1963.
  While helping to lead the NCNW in the 1960s, Dr. Height organized the 
famous ``Wednesdays in Mississippi'' group, which brought women of all 
faiths and colors together in Mississippi to break racial, class, and 
regional barriers. Because of her leadership and ability to bring 
people together, she was often sought by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt 
for counsel. Additionally, she encouraged President Dwight Eisenhower 
to desegregate schools, and urged President Lyndon Johnson to appoint 
African-American women to positions in government.
  Dr. Height has received numerous awards and commendations for her 
work, including the Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, and in 1993, was inducted into 
the National Women's Hall of Fame.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize and honor the life of one of 
our Nation's greatest civil rights leaders. I ask all my colleagues to 
join me in honoring Dr. Dorothy Irene Height for her life-long service 
to the principles of freedom, justice, and equality for all.

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