Dorothy Height
|
Posted By: Jehan Bunch on February 12, 2008 FEATURED Content “We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system. But also for and with those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity.”- Dorothy Height Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 24, 1912. She was the daughter of James Edward Height, a building contractor, and Fannie Burroughs Height, a nurse. When Dorothy Height was very young, the family moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania, not far from Pittsburgh, where she attended integrated schools. As a high school student, Height made a speech about slavery amendments to the U.S.Constitution that won her a scholarship to the college of her choice. Although she was accepted at Barnard College in New York City, when she showed up to enroll there, she was told the college's quota for blacks had been filled. Instead, she enrolled in New York University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences and a master's degree in educational psychology. Height started working as a caseworker with the New York City Welfare Department and, at the age of twenty-five, she began a career as a civil rights activist when she joined the National Council of Negro Women. She fought for equal rights for both African Americans and women, and in 1944 she joined the national staff of the YWCA. She also served as National President of Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated from 1946-1957. In 1957, Height was named president of the National Council of Negro Women, a position she held until 1997. During the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Height organized "Wednesdays in Mississippi", which brought together black and white women from the North and South to create a dialogue of understanding. American leaders regularly took her counsel, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Height also encouraged President Dwight D. Eisenhower to desegregate schools and President Lyndon B. Johnson to appoint African American women to positions in government. Height has served on a number of committees, including as a consultant on African affairs to the Secretary of State, the President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped, and the President's Committee on the Status of Women. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award and the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. She has also been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. In 2004, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush on behalf of the United States Congress. Dr. Height is currently, at age 95, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the largest civil rights organization in the USA. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Jehan Bunch
From Columbus, OH Central State University class of 2005 Member Since January 2006 |
Comments
 |
I LOVE MY SOROR
Friday, May 16th 2008 at 9:14PM |
 |
A Delta Achiever! Gotta love it.
Friday, July 11th 2008 at 11:43AM |
 |
A role model for all African American women to follow.
Friday, January 2nd 2009 at 12:37PM |
More From This Author
Latest Profiles In Leadership
 |
The Vance Chronicles - The Reunion Table Episode OneWhat do we inherit?
As HBCU graduates, many of us understand that knowledge travels in more than one direction.
It comes through classrooms, mentors, lived experience, family stories, community ...more
James Gray • 34 Views • August 30th, 2026 |
 |
OS-HBCU Tour ProgramFirst, I would like to tell you a little about the OS-HBCU Tour Program.
Myself, my wife Mrs. Gina Bell, our two daughters, Mrs. Mikea Jones and Ms. Ebonee Bell, Mr. Phil Simons (Assistant Pri ...more
Damon Bell • 266 Views • July 28th, 2026 |
 |
Black United States, Marshal releases power autobiographyOff My Neck is the inspiring and motivational story of a farm boy from Algoma, Mississippi, who decided that a plow and two mules were just not enough. Migrating from Mississip to get the Yoke of seco ...more
Robert Moore • 975 Views • October 8th, 2025 |
 |
Illinois Auto Dealer Named the 2024 Ally Sees Her Award Winner for Her Leadership in the Auto Industry and Her Commitment toIllinois Auto Dealer Named the 2024 Ally Sees Her Award Winner for Her Leadership in the Auto Industry and Her Commitment to Community
Karen Sutton-Ford, dealer principal at Sutton Ford in Matteson ...more
Cindy Kamerad • 1,498 Views • August 27th, 2024 |
 |
Illinois Auto Dealer Named the 2024 Ally Sees Her Award Winner for Her Leadership in the Auto Industry and Her Commitment toIllinois Auto Dealer Named the 2024 Ally Sees Her Award Winner for Her Leadership in the Auto Industry and Her Commitment to Community
Karen Sutton-Ford, dealer principal at Sutton Ford in Matteson ...more
Cindy Kamerad • 1,034 Views • August 27th, 2024 |
Popular Profiles In Leadership
 |
Granville T. WoodsBorn in Columbus, Ohio, in April 23, 1856, Granville T. Woods dedicated his life to developing a variety of inventions relating to the railroad industry. To some he was known as the "Black Edison, bot ...more
Marwan Fateen • 37,106 Views • February 11th, 2008 |
 |
Marcus GarveyMarcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., National Hero of Jamaica, was a publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, Black nationalist, Pan-Africanist, and orator. Marcus Garvey was founder of the Universal Negro Improvem ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 30,859 Views • February 23rd, 2009 |
 |
Mansa Musa, King of Mali (1312-1337)
Mansa Kankan Musa
When Mansa Musa came to power, Mali already had firm control of the trade routes to the southern lands of gold and the northern lands of salt. Now Musa brought the lands of the ...more
Marwan Fateen • 28,356 Views • February 11th, 2008 |
