Civil Rights Icon Dr. Dorothy Irene Height: March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010
Last week, America lost a civil and women’s rights legend when Dr. Dorothy I. Height passed away at the age of 98.
In proper form, Dr. Height will be eulogized by none other than President Obama. A White House source said the President would deliver the eulogy on Thursday at the National Cathedral, where final rites are scheduled for Dr. Height. In honor of Dr. Height’s contributions to society, President Obama has ordered that U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and at all public buildings and military installations on Thursday in honor of the civil rights legend.
She was often the only woman present at male-dominated events of the 1950s and 1960s. She stood to the left of Martin Luther King Jr. when he delivered his famed “I Have A Dream” speech at the National Mall in 1963. Mahalia Jackson sang, but no woman was allowed to speak at the March on Washington. Dr. Height, who was president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, was one of the last surviving leaders of the generation that battled for the fundamental rights of African Americans.
Our thoughts, prayers and gratitude are with Dr. Height and her family. What a long, beautiful and impactful life she lived. RIP.
