Dr. Dorothy I. Height (1912-2010)

This morning, Dr. Dorothy Height, a gladiator in the arena of social justice, died. She was 98 years old.

She was the daughter of a nurse (who couldn’t find work in white hospitals) and a self-employed contractor. She was admitted to Barnard College, but turned away upon her arrival because the two slots for black women had been filled. She went on to New York University and obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in four years.

Her career was marked by distinguished service and activism. A protégé of Mary McLeod Bethune, she fought against lynchings, for improved housing,  and consulted with several presidents on the issue of civil rights. She was one of the primary organizers of the March on Washington and was a catalyst of the women’s movement, helping to found the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971.

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, two of the highest honors bestowed upon civilians.