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Dorothy Height
Civil Rights Legend, Administrator And Educator, Dr. Dorothy Height, Received The 78th NAACP Spingarn Medal On July 15, 1993
Born In Richmond, Virginia, She Moved with Her Family To Rankin, Pennsylvania. While In High School, Height Got A Scholarship To Barnard College For Her Oratory Skills. However, Upon Arrival, She Was Denied Entrance Because At The Time, Barnard Had Already Admitted Its Two Black Students For That Academic Year.
Height Entered New York University Where She Earned Her Bachelor's And Master's Degrees In Four years.
While Working As A Caseworker For The Welfare Department In New York, Dr. Height Joined The National Council Of Negro Women In 1937 And Began Her Civil Rights Career.
She Served On The National Staff Of The YWCA Of USA From 1944 To 1977 Where She Was Active In Developing Its Leadership Training And Interracial And Ecumenical Education Programs. In 1965, She inaugurated The Center For Racial Justice, Which Is Still A Major Initiative Of The National YWCA. She served as the 10th National President Of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. From 1946 to 1957. In 1958 Height Became President Of The NCNW In 1958. She Held That Position For The Next 40 Years, Stepping Down In 1997.
Working Closely With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, A. Philip Randolph, And Others, Dr. Height Participated In Virtually All Of The Major Civil And Human Rights Events In The 1950's And 1960's.
A Promoter Of Black Family Life Dr. Height Conceived And Organized The Black Family Reunion Celebration In 1986, To Reinforce The Historic Strengths And Traditional Values Of The African American Family.
For Her Efforts On Behalf Of The Less Fortunate, President Ronald Reagan Presented Her The Citizens Medal Award For Distinguished Service To The Country In 1989. She Has Received The Presidential Medal Of Freedom And The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom From Want Award. Height Has Also Been Inducted Into The National Women's Hall Of Fame. In 2004, She Was Awarded The Congressional Gold Medal By President George W. Bush On Behalf Of the United States Congress.
At Age 97, Dr. Height Is Currently The Chairperson Of The Executive Committee of The Leadership Conference On Civil Rights, The Largest Civil Rights Organization In The United States.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
Posted By: Hugh Gaddy
Wednesday, July 15th 2009 at 12:19AM
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