Height set the standard for First Lady Michelle Obama and all women for how to gain and wield influence.

Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.—Dorothy I. Height

The life story of Dr. Dorothy Height, who died early Tuesday, April 20, often reads like a fairytale. That sometimes happens when you live so long and age so gracefully. Folks forget how much anxiety and disappointment and heartbreak you endured—especially when, at 98, you’re still wearing gorgeous hats and smiling—even as you strike your latest blow against oppression.

It’s true, Height was well educated and she caught the early attention of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, who mentored her and ushered her into position at the helm of the National Council of Negro Women. The rest, as they say, is history. It all sounds so seamless and so easy. But let go of the legend surrounding her life and focus real small.

Here was a woman—a single black woman—who lived a life that no sane black woman of her generation would have dared even dream. Let’s not forget, she was born in the south in 1912. Raised outside of Pittsburgh, she couldn’t attend the schools she wanted and she couldn’t vote. For those who like to ascribe the successes of others to the luck of being in the right place at the right time, there was nothing even remotely right about Height’s time or place, especially for a black girl. But she wasn’t just a black girl (none of us are) and she made sure people knew it.

From a young age, Height pushed her own limits and those of everyone in her midst. She created her moments. She rose to greet each opportunity. She answered a call to serve and eagerly stepped up to lead and in so doing, she forged new opportunities for women everywhere and she helped change the world. Luck had nothing to do with it. Here was a woman who was as self-made as they come.
It’s tempting to sum up her life with “the rest is history” line. After all, she was an influencer, not a policy-maker; she ran an organization, not a nation or even a blue-chip corporation; she was a social activist and a humanitarian in a time when we have grossly downgraded our regard for both.

But her life serves as a reminder of the sustainable value of committing oneself to causes rather than coffers. Hers is a dazzlingly unique history with timeless instructive relevance, especially for women.

As head of the NCNW, Height was typically surrounded by women—black or white—or almost entirely by men. In either setting, she was supremely comfortable. In either setting, she was recognized as a leader. In either setting, her impact was made and if she made it with a hammer, she always held that hammer in a gloved hand.

She never once compromised who she was to suit the setting whether that setting was the White House’s gilded Oval Office or the rundown community room of an inner-city housing project; she never once downplayed her femininity or soft-shoed her purpose.
Here was a woman—without the status of wealth or race or a husband or birthright to impart—who literally had a seat at the table of a near-century’s worth of history, and she was all too often the only woman, of any hue, at that table.

Imagine her surrounded by the architects of the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, John Lewis—all those opinions, all that testosterone….and Height, in her hat, pearls, and proper white gloves.

She would often recall such meetings in intimate conversations with friends, including Dr. Lucille Perez, former president of the National Medical Association and one of the countless women Height mentored throughout her long life.

“You can see her in the midst of all those great men,” Perez says. “Most of us know what that’s like and, as a woman, it can be really heavy, really intimidating. Did she say a whole lot? Probably not, given the times. But I know that when she spoke, she made it count and her mere presence made the conversation change. It had to. Just a little bit of estrogen always changes the conversation. And she always made sure she was right there making her influence felt no matter who was in the room.”

Height had unprecedented access to every American president since Dwight D. Eisenhower and she used it, both challenging and endearing herself to them in the process.

Perez recalls being present a few years ago when Height got a call from president Bill Clinton inviting her to accompany him to an event.

“Does Hillary know?” she teased him before accepting. “She was well into her nineties at the time,” says Perez, “She was retired and still going into the office every day. Dr. Height was something else!”

Her surname couldn’t have been more fitting, as her life and career bore testament to her steady climb up the ladder—and her unceasing efforts to reach back and lift others. “She was a modern day Harriett Tubman,” says Perez. “She made all of us her life and her message was constantly, ‘Keep your head up! You’re going to be free.’”

It’s no fairytale, but it’s a story worth telling again and again.

Caroline Clarke is the host of the Black Enterprise Business Report and Executive Editor of Black Enterprise.

Click here to see “Dorothy I. Height: Her Life In Pictures.”

Click here to view Women of Power Legacy Award Dorothy Height Tribute video.

From left: Barbara Graves, Ann Fudge, Dorothy Height, Nikki Giovanni, Ruby Dee, and Earl G. Graves at the 2008 Women of Power Legacy Awards.

How can one pay adequate homage to Dorothy Height? One can’t really, but we are obliged to try because tribute must be paid to a woman such as this. Today, President Obama called her the “Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement,” and that was by no means an understatement. She was a dream giver, an earth shaker, and a crusader for human rights who served as a catalyst for change at a time when few could take a stand.

From 1957 to 1998, Dorothy served as president of the National Council of Negro Women, where she led a personal crusade for justice for African American women and the preservation of the black family. Under her stewardship the organization played a leadership role in the desegregation battles in the south, voter education and registration drives in the North and South, youth development and education, and ongoing efforts to end global poverty and illiteracy. She has been instrumental in the initiation of NCNW sponsored food drives, child care, housing projects, and career and educational programs that embody the principles of self-reliance. And as a promoter of positive black family life, Dorothy conceived and organized the Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986 to reinforce the historic strengths and traditional values of the African American family.

In 2008 I and my wife Barbara had the honor of presenting Dorothy with the Black Enterprise Women of Power Legacy Award while in the company of 700 women whose professional lives she helped to make possible. It was breathtaking to see her as vibrant as ever, still teaching, motivating, and inspiring a whole new generation with her courage. Although we deeply mourn her passing, we celebrate her extraordinary life knowing our children and grandchildren stand on her shoulders.

Earl Graves Sr. is the founder, chairman and publisher of Black Enterprise.

Click here to see “Dorothy I. Height: Her Life In Pictures.”

Click here to view Women of Power Legacy Award Dorothy Height Tribute video.

Dorothy Irene Height

Dorothy Irene Height, the chair and president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), passed away Tuesday at Howard University Hospital. No cause of death was given. She was 98 years old. (Click here to see “Dorothy I. Height: Her Life In Pictures.”)

“Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Dorothy Height – the godmother of the Civil Rights Movement and a hero to so many Americans,” said President Barack Obama in a statement. “Even in the final weeks of her life – a time when anyone else would have enjoyed their well-earned rest – Dr. Height continued her fight to make our nation a more open and inclusive place for people of every race, gender, background, and faith.”

Under her calling card of colorful hats that coordinated with each of her stylish ensembles was one of America’s most treasured and triumphant civil rights leaders. “I think of life as a unity of circles. Some are concentric, others overlap, but they all connect in some way,” wrote Height in her autobiography Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir (Gale Group).

Height’s social and political circles were numerous and wide reaching as she, an influential player for social justice, civil rights, and women’s rights, connected with and uplifted several generations. Her prominence was such that the nation’s presidents and civil rights luminaries sought her council. In fact, she was the only female leader present at the table when Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, and John Lewis began coordinating the March on Washington in 1960, according to her memoir.

“How can one pay adequate homage to Dorothy Height?” said Earl G. Graves Sr., founder and publisher of Black Enterprise. “One can’t really, but we are obliged to try because tribute must be paid to a woman such as this. Today, President Obama called her the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement,’ and that was by no means an understatement. She was a dream giver, an earth shaker, and a crusader for human rights who served as a catalyst for change at a time when few could take a stand.”

After the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, she led the NCNW to start “Wednesday’s in Mississippi,” the only civil rights project run by a national women’s organization. While the goal was to bridge the divide between women of different race, class, and regional backgrounds, the workshops led the NCNW to successfully partner with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create Turnkey III Home Ownership for low-income families in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Height’s passion for social justice extended well beyond the United States. She traveled to England and Holland in her 20s as a representative for several Christian youth organizations. Later, under the Young Women’s Christian Association she studied the training of women’s organizations in five African countries and served as a visiting professor at the Delhi School of Social Work at University of Delhi in India.

President Barack Obama kisses Dorothy I. Height during a meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18, 2010. (Source: White House)

Height remained active during her later years, conducting interviews and attending several events a month in her 90s until she was admitted to Howard University Hospital in Washington D.C. for fatigue March 22. One of her last events was the International Women’s Day reception at the White House March 9.

Dorothy Height was born March 24, 1912, in Richmond, Virginia to James Edward Height, a building contractor, and Fannie Borroughs Height, a nurse.

Raised in Rankin, Pennsylvania, Height was exposed to injustice early in her life when she was turned away from Barnard College in 1929 when the school informed her that the two positions set aside for black students had been filled. Fortunately, she found a home at New York University and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years.

At NYU, she became a leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America and became passionate about preventing lynchings, desegregating the armed forces, and reforming the criminal justice system.

In 1937, while serving as assistant executive director of the Harlem YWCA, Height met her future mentor Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of the National Council of Negro Women. Height accepted Bethune’s invitation to join the NCNW, and in 1957 Height was elected the fourth national president of the organization, a title she held until 1998 when she became chair and president emeritus.

“She was such a dynamic woman. She was someone who was a role model for men and women of all faiths, races, and perspectives. Her hope was to always continue the work that Mary McLeod Bethune started,” said former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman, Height’s good friend. “For her it really wasn’t about the many years of her life, but what she did with them. … So she believed in making every day count. That is what she did with her entire life.”

Height worked double time, volunteering for the NCNW while working at the YWCA. She ascended the ranks of the YWCA and held several leadership positions, including director of the National YWCA School for Professional Worker, and served on staff of the National Board of the YWCA of the USA for 33 years.

“No one served longer and stronger or with more persistence than Dorothy Height,” said civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network. “Whether it was marching in the streets with Dr. King, helping further education with Mary McLeod Bethune, or by mentoring a new generation of freedom fighters, Dr. Height was a hero in civil rights and social justice.”

Her passion for volunteerism and leadership did not fall solely on the YWCA and the NCNW. She was also a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and served from 1947 until1956 as its national president. Some of her more notable accomplishments include:

• The establishment of the Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City in 1970
• The dedication of the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park, Washington D.C. in 1974. The statue was the first for a woman on public land in the nation’s capital

• Participation in the 1975 Tribunal at the International Women’s Year Conference of the United Nations in Mexico City, which led to a grant awarded to the NCNW from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• The establishment of the Bethune Council House, the former home of Mary McLeod Bethune, as a national historic site through the National Park Service. The BCH is the first institution devoted to black women’s history and houses the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women.

Among her numerous other achievements, Height was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame,  is a recipient of the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and on her 92nd birthday she accepted the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian and most distinguished award presented by the U.S. Congress.

After receiving the 2008 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit’s Legacy Award, Height had this to say about her circle of women: “It is a great reminder to me that I have had the benefit of so many women who showed their power, who understood that power was neither bad nor good; it’s how you use it.”

Click here to view Women of Power Legacy Award Dorothy Height Tribute video.

The report uses data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), and addresses some of the racial, ethnic and financial inequalities women face, many with so little in reserve that they could not afford to take an unpaid sick day or to even have a major appliance repaired without going into debt.

“It’s well known that there is still an income gap, but I was totally shocked to see the disparity in wealth between African Americans and whites,” said Meizhu Lui, director of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative. The report defines wealth or net worth as the total value of one’s assets — checking accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate — minus all outstanding debts — mortgages, credit card debts, and student loans.

Nearly half of all single black women have a zero or negative wealth, according to the report. Single black women age 18-64 have a median household wealth of only $100, while their black male counterparts have $7,900. Single white women in that age group have a median household wealth of $41,500. Married or cohabitating black women have a median household income of $31,500 compared to $167,500 for white women.

While there is no single explanation for the wealth gap, the report says that wage disparities, favorable tax codes, and marital status are some of the reasons for wealth inequality among women of color.

“It’s frightening to see that we’re at such a huge disadvantage,” said Dr. Avis Jones-Deweever, director of research, public policy, and information for the National Council of Negro Women. “But what’s even more nonsensical is the fact that black women work very hard. Historically we’ve had the highest labor force participation of any women in America so to see these figures is astounding.”

Debt also widens the wealth gap. Black women were more likely to have installment debt in the form of education loans, credit card debt, and were more than twice as likely to receive high-interest loans and subprime mortgages compared to white women. Those with higher incomes were two to three times more likely, depending on the region, to have received subprime loans. The National Council of Negro Women estimates that a subprime loan cost a borrower $50,000 to $100,000 more over the loan term than a comparable prime loan.

“There are institutional government policies that have been made and continue to be made to exacerbate the gap,” said Lui. “It’s like the white escalator versus the people of color treadmill. Everybody is working hard but whites are getting a boost through government policies — we need some policy that will give us a ride on the escalator too.”

Policy recommendations to help narrow the wealth gap:

• Target financial resources for education and training women of color in sectors and occupations with high opportunities for career advancement.
• Implement universal early childhood education programs to better prepare children for success in school, and recognize that women are participants in the labor force.
• Increase Small Business Administration assistance to microenterprises.
• Make the Make Work Pay tax credit, which covers the self-employed, permanent.
• Remove asset limits from public assistance program eligibility
• Make the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable
• Expand allowable expenditures for matched Independent Development Accounts in the Assets for Independence program.
• Institute minimum benefits for the Social Security program. This would lift many people-particularly women of color-out of poverty.
• Restructure Social Security for part-time workers.
• Extend unemployment benefits to part-time workers.

Dorothy L. Height, 96, president emeritus of the NCNW, far right, says she cherished her mentor, civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, and believes black girls can benefit from mentorship.

Ashley Stewart began their celebration of women’s empowerment four months ahead of National Women’s History Month, when they announced the “We are Listening” campaign last October. Now, every Tuesday in all 217 Ashley Stewart stores across the country, black women and girls join together with the support of the National Council of Negro Women to mentor, celebrate, and empower one another.

“We have to work harder at intergenerational sharing and giving,” Dorothy L. Height, chair and president emeritus of the NCNW, said after a press conference this week announcing the benefits of the program. “I think older people have a responsibility not only for sharing our history, but also recognizing the new changes and the new things to which we have to adapt and move forward.”

Sponsored by the Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation, the “We are Listening” program was created to provide “safe spaces” for young women under 35 and older women in the African American community. At the Tuesday meetings, the women and girls discuss topics ranging from domestic violence to education and cancer prevention.

Since the program’s inception in November, each week 1,800 women of all races have paid the $30 membership fee to join the NCNW through Ashley Stewart stores. This week the ASSCF presented Height and the NCNW with a check representing funds raised through the end of Dec. 2008. Customers who join the NCNW receive a one-time 20% discount and a 10% discount for one year on all purchases at Ashley Stewart Stores.

The intent of the campaign is to shed unflattering perceptions that are heaped on black women by society and even themselves, and help melt disparities that disproportionately affect black women.

“So often when we think of black women in this culture, it is just a sexualized image or an image of victimhood,” says Avis Jones DeWeever, an affiliate scholar at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the director of research at the NCNW. “I think it is a wonderful example of corporate responsibility and giving back to the community by a company that didn’t have to do it but they did,” says DeWeever.

Ashley Stewart, a division of Urban Brands, is not alone in its undertaking to empower women and girls. President Barack Obama has initiated a federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls with the creation of the White House Council on Women and Girls. The council will ensure that all federal agencies take into account the particular needs of women and girls, including topics such as family leave and child care.  Three out of four low-wage workers have no paid sick leave, according to the White House.

DeWeever believes that paid sick leave is critically important, especially for black women, because they have the highest labor force participation rate of any group of women. Also, she says black women tend to be clustered in very low wage jobs with little access to health benefits.

Ashley Stewart Stores is one corporation that is ahead in the game on this issue, says Mary Kay Devine, director of work force development policy, at Women Employed, an organization that helps to remove barriers to economic equity for working women. With a workforce that is made up of 98% blacks and 97% women, Ashley Stewart offers full-time associates paid, short-term disability and six to eight weeks of maternity leave.