[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5230-5231]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF DR. DOROTHY IRENE HEIGHT--A NATIONAL TREASURE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Dr. Dorothy Irene 
Height, a great leader in the struggle for equality, social justice, 
and human rights for all people, and a true American hero.
  A recognized leader in the cause of civil and human rights, Dr. 
Height has shown her strength and vision through her efforts to promote 
school desegregation, educate others regarding the status of women in 
our society, and close our Nation's racial divide.
  As a tireless advocate for women's rights, Dr. Height was a valued 
friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She later encouraged President 
Eisenhower to desegregate the Nation's schools and promoted the 
appointment of African-American women to sub-Cabinet posts under 
President Johnson.

[[Page 5231]]

  Dr. Height served as the tenth national president of Delta Sigma 
Theta Sorority, Inc. from 1947 to 1956 and was responsible for 
advancing the organization's political and social activism, both 
nationally and internationally.
  Subsequently, as president of the National Council of Negro Women, 
NCNW, Dr. Height worked ceaselessly to bring attention to the struggle 
of African-American women. Some of these innovative programs include: 
Operation Woman Power, a project to expand business ownership by women; 
the Women's Center for Education and Career Advancement, a facility 
established to empower minority women in nontraditional careers; and 
the Bethune Museum and Archives, a museum devoted to the history of 
African-American women.
  Among her other roles, Dr. Height was the only female member of the 
``Big Six'' civil rights leaders, alongside James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, 
Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
She was a mainstay at countless civil and human rights events in the 
1960s and organized ``Wednesdays in Mississippi,'' a program that 
brought together Black and White women from the North and South to 
create a dialogue of understanding.
  Throughout her years of public service, Dr. Height has received 
numerous awards for her pursuit of equality including: the Spingarn 
Award, the highest honor given by the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, NAACP; the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, awarded by President Clinton; the William L. Dawson Award, 
given by the Congressional Black Caucus for decades of service to 
people of color and women; the Citizens Medal Award for distinguished 
service, presented by President Reagan; and her most recent honor, the 
Congressional Gold Medal, presented by the 108th Congress of the United 
States.
  Dr. Dorothy Height has been a clear voice in expressing the needs of 
not only African-American women, but of all women. She is a living 
legend, a catalyst for growth and positive change in our great country.
  I proudly congratulate Dr. Dorothy Irene Height on the awarding of 
the Congressional Gold Medal and for her commitment to equality and 
civil rights in America.

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