Dorothy Height

Dorothy Height, born in Richmond, Virginia, moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania as a child and attended integrated schools. Height's skills as an orator helped her win a national competition and a college scholarship. She was accepted to Barnard College only to have her admittance denied at the last minute, due to the color of her skin. She went on to attend New York University and Columbia University. She began working as a social worker in Harlem. In 1937 Height accepted a position at Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), where she met the found of the National Council of Negro Women, (NCNW), Mary McLeod Bethune. Height began volunteering with NCNW., focusing on ending lynchings and restructuring the criminal justice system. In 1957, Height became president of the NCNW, a position she held for 40 years. 

While managing the YWCA, Height created diverse programs and oversaw their national integration. In 1965, Height established the Center for Racial Justice, which she ran until her retirement in 1977. 

During the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, Height worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, John Lewis, and James Farmer on different campaigns and initiatives. In 1963, she helped organize the March on Washington. Despite her public speaking skills, Height was not invited to give a speech at the March. Today, Height is often credited for being the first person to merge the issues of inequality for women and African Americans. Height joined the women's rights movement and helped found the National Women's Political Caucus. She also served as a visiting professor at the University of Delhi and worked with the Black Women's Federation of South Africa. 

For her life=long efforts for minority and women's rights, Height received the following awards:

~ Citizens' Medal Award, 1989

~ Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1994

~ Congressional Gold Medal, 2004

~ Black History Month, Forever Stamp, 2017