[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S2795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING DOROTHY HEIGHT

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
recognize the life of women and civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height, a 
woman who helped pave the way for an African American to be elected 
President of the Unites States, a Latino son of immigrants to represent 
New Jersey in the U.S. Senate, and brilliant Jewish and Latina women to 
preside in the U.S. Supreme Court.
  Dorothy Height first immersed herself in the civil rights movement in 
1933 when she became a leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of 
North America. It was her dedication to ending the horror of lynching, 
reforming the criminal justice system, and securing free access to 
public accommodations that made her an American hero and the obvious 
choice to serve as a representative of the YWCA to the World Conference 
of Christian Youth.
  While serving as the assistant executive director of the Harlem YWCA, 
Ms. Height met Mary McLeod Bethune, founder and president of the 
National Council of Negro Women. Recognizing the promise and potential 
in Ms. Height, Bethune invited her to join the NCNW in her mission to 
secure equal rights for women.
  Throughout her countless years of leadership with the YWCA, the 
National Council of Negro Women, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority 
Incorporated, Ms. Height inspired a generation of future leaders. 
During those days of racism, intolerance, and hatred, it was extremely 
difficult for a woman, an African-American woman, to advocate for civil 
rights. Imagine how frightening it must have been to stand up to 
oppression, intolerance, and injustice that often ended in violence 
against those who simply came in peace seeking to be treated equally 
and fairly. A fearless leader, Ms. Height took the chance she knew she 
had to take because as she plainly stated, ``we all have to do whatever 
we can.''
  It was that simple philosophy that motivated her to accomplish many 
achievements through her leadership with the YWCA, NCNW, and Delta 
Sigma Theta Sorority. Her contributions are endless, and as a testament 
to her accomplishments, Ms. Height was awarded the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
  Dorothy Height's commitment to ensuring equality for all is her 
legacy and our hope.
  Heralded as a civil rights leader, Ms. Height was the only woman at 
the highest level of the civil rights movement to march alongside 
revered leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, 
A. Phillip Randolph, and John Lewis, just to name a few. During the 
height of the civil rights era, she organized the ``Wednesdays in 
Mississippi'' event, which brought together African-American and 
Caucasian women from different walks of life to create a discourse of 
understanding. Respected as a national leader, Ms. Height played a 
pivotal role in several Presidential committees, including the 
President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped and the 
President's Committee on the Status of Women.
  Her life's work helped to bring our Nation out from the shadow of 
segregation to a place where we are moving closer to true racial, 
ethnic, and gender equality. While we have made great strides toward 
obtaining equality, there is still much work left to be done. At the 
age of 98, Dorothy Height continued to play a role in addressing the 
social inequities some Americans face, as evidenced by her position of 
chairperson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She once 
stated, ``I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and 
anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom .  .  . I want 
to be remembered as one who tried.'' Ms. Height will not only be 
remembered as one who tried but also as one who achieved, one who 
inspired, and one who has left a footprint in this world. We can honor 
her legacy by doing our part and trying to make this society better 
than the one she lived in by finally achieving equality for all.

                          ____________________