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.â€
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.
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 Wo
men. 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.â€
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.â€
Click here to view Women of Power Legacy Award Dorothy Height Tribute video.