The ‘godmother of the civil rights movement’ ?? “I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to fight for justice and freedom…I want to be remembered as one who tried”
Dt. Dorothy Irene Height, foremost American civil rights and women’s rights activist, (born March 24, 1912, Richmond, Va., U.S.—died April 20, 2010, Washington, D.C)
gained repute for been passionate about improving the lives and opportunities for African American women, fighting for equality and calling on the black community to make itself more independent.
The highly influential personality who joined the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) at age 25, led the organisation
for 40 years, upon her appointment in 1957, becoming the fourth president. Dorothy served as the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement.
Under her leadership, she championed civil rights struggles of the 1960s by organizing voter registration in the South, voter education in the North, and scholarship programs for student civil rights workers.
Height was politically active and an excellent speaker even right from childhood. She enrolled at the New York University earning a Bachelor’s Degree and then a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology.
Dorothy Height was involved in social service for six decades, spending 40 years out of those years as leader of the NCNW.
In the 1990s, the activist engaged the youth through the organization fighting against drugs, illiteracy, and unemployment. She also served as a social services expert on local, state, and federal governmental committees concerned with women’s issues.
Before retiring in 1996, she helped secure funding for a national headquarters for the NCNW in the historic Sears House in Washington, D.C., Dorothy Height’s legacy in helping bridge the gap between the African-American civil rights groups and the women’s movement, fetched her numerous honours including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004).? #DorothyHeight#womenactivist#equality#racism#black#independence#leader#civilrightsmovement#ncnw#woman#inspiring
