Celebrating the Life of Dr. Dorothy Height, Celebrated Women’s and Civil Rights Leader

I join the nation in mourning the loss of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, former President Emeriti of the National Council of Negro Women, who passed on April 20th at the age of 98. She was someone I’d known over the years and we shared a kindred spirit, as trained social workers, in advocating for the most vulnerable among us. She was just a fabulous woman.

Dr. Height, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 from President Bill Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, was a chief advocate for women, families, and children and championed the values of racial dignity and social justice. Those who knew her beyond her trademark hats and well-tailored garb could attest that Height, even up to her recent illness, had a sharpness of wit and work-ethic that rivaled the efforts of men and women who were decades younger.

Dr. Height, who was present on the platform when Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, once said, “Keeping connected to one another builds our strength and enhances our power.” She will be greatly missed by those who knew her well and by countless beneficiaries of her work here in the US and abroad.