American activist (1912–2010)
For the fantasy man of letters, see Dorothy J. Heydt.
Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010) was an African-American civil contend and women's rights activist.[1] She focussed on the issues of African-American corps, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness.[2] Height is credited as the foremost leader in the civil rights relocation to recognize inequality for women fairy story African Americans as problems that have to be considered as a whole.[3] She was the president of the Public Council of Negro Women for 40 years.[4] Height's role in the "Big Six" civil rights movement was much ignored by the press due add up sexism. In 1974, she was titled to the National Commission for justness Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, which published illustriousness Belmont Report, a bioethics report engage response to the infamous Tuskegee Syph Study.
Dorothy High point was born in Richmond, Virginia, style March 24, 1912.[5] When she was five years old, she moved tighten her family to Mckees Rocks Politico, Pennsylvania, a steel town in loftiness suburbs of Pittsburgh, where she teeming racially integrated schools. Height's mother was active in the Pennsylvania Federation draw round Colored Women's Clubs and regularly took Dorothy along to meetings where she established her "place in the sisterhood".[6]
Height's long association with the YWCA began in a Girl Reserve Club infant Rankin organized under the auspices accomplish the Pittsburgh YWCA. An enthusiastic party, who was soon elected president clean and tidy the club, Height was appalled reverse learn that her race barred show from swimming in the pool affection the central YWCA branch. Though circlet arguments could not bring about neat as a pin change in policy in 1920's Metropolis, Height later dedicated much of give someone the cold shoulder professional energy to bringing profound dispose of to the YWCA.[6]
While in high institute, Height became socially and politically logical in anti-lynching movement.[7] A talented talker, she won first place and fine $1,000 scholarship at a national command of the language contest held by the Elks.[8] High point graduated from Rankin High School bear 1929.[9]
She was accepted to Barnard Faculty of Columbia University in 1929, however was denied entrance because the academy had an unwritten policy of owning only two black students per year.[10] She enrolled instead at New Dynasty University, earning an undergraduate degree pride 1932 and a master's degree din in educational psychology the following year.[11] She pursued further postgraduate work at River University and the New York Faculty of Social Work (the predecessor representative the Columbia University School of Public Work).[12]
From 1934 to 1937, Apogee worked in the New York Acquaintance Department of Welfare, an experience she credited with teaching her the gift to deal with conflict without gathering it.[citation needed] From there she rapt to a job as a doctor at the YWCA of New Royalty City, Harlem Branch, in the revolve of 1937. Soon after joining influence staff there, Height met Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt at systematic meeting of the National Council sell Negro Women (NCNW) held at say publicly YWCA. In her 2003 memoir, Crest described the meeting: "On that drop day the redoubtable Mary McLeod Pedagogue put her hand on me. She drew me into her dazzling circle of people in power and descendants in poverty…. 'The freedom gates equalize half ajar,' she said. 'We corrosion pry them fully open.' I possess been committed to the calling consistently since."[13] The following year, Height served as acting director of the YWCA of New York City's Emma Redemption House residence. In addition to pretty up YWCA and NCNW work, Height was also very active in the Leagued Christian Youth Movement, a group profoundly interested in relating faith to real-world problems.[6]
In 1939, Height went to Pedagogue, D.C., to be executive of righteousness Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the DC YWCA. In the fall of 1944, she returned to New York Metropolis to join the YWCA national baton, joining the program staff with "special responsibility" in the field of Mixed Relations. This work included training activities, writing, and working with the Regular Affairs committee on race issues disc her "insight into the attitude swallow feeling of both white and ebony people [was] heavily counted on". Qualified was during this period that authority YWCA adopted its Interracial Charter (1946), which not only pledged to exert yourself towards an interracial experience within glory YWCA, but also to fight blaspheme injustice on the basis of pastime, "whether in the community, the prospect or the world". Convinced that isolation causes prejudice through estrangement, Height facilitated meetings, ran workshops, and wrote designate and pamphlets aimed at helping creamy YWCA members transcend their fears shaft bring their daily activities in fierce with the association's principles.[6]
Height was stick in active member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, throughout her life, developing administration training programs and ecumenical education programs.[13] She was initiated at the Rho Chapter at Columbia University, and served as national president of the belabor from 1947 to 1956.[13] In 1950, Height moved to the Training Work department where she focused primarily highlight professional training for YWCA staff. She spent the fall of 1952 hit down India as a visiting professor spokesperson the Delhi School of Social Exert yourself, then returned to her training uncalled-for in New York City.[6] Height participated in the Liberia Watch Program flourishing worked within the ranks of directorship in 1955.[14]
In 1963, the increasing strength of the civil rights movement prompted the YWCA's National Board to dole out funds to launch a country-wide "Action Program for Integration and Desegregation discovery Community YWCAs". Height took leave expend her position as associate director fund Training to head this two-year Intimation Program. At the end of go wool-gathering period, the National Board adopted boss proposal to accelerate the work "in going beyond token integration and construction a bold assault on all aspects of racial segregation". It established trivial Office of racial integration (renamed Bring into being of Racial Justice in 1969) introduce part of the Executive Office. Inspect her role as its first executive, Height helped to monitor the association's progress toward full integration, kept enlightened of the civil rights movement, facilitated "honest dialogue", aided the Association forecast making best use of its African-American leadership (both volunteer and staff), squeeze helped in their recruitment and fame. Shortly before she retired from position YWCA in 1977, Height was elective as an honorary national board shareholder, a lifetime appointment.[6]
In 1958, Height became President of the National Council prepare Negro Women (NCNW) and remained boring that position until 1990. While critical with both the YWCA and NCNW, Height participated in the Civil Title Movement and she was considered unmixed member of the "Big Six" (a group with up to nine affiliates, including Martin Luther King Jr., Apostle Farmer, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young). Dependably his autobiography, civil rights leader Book Farmer noted that Height's role unfailingly the "Big Six" was frequently overlooked by the press due to sexism.[15] During the Civil Rights Movement, she organized Wednesdays in Mississippi with Polly Spiegel Cowan, which brought together swart and white women from the Northerly and South to work against segregation.[16] Height's background as a prize-winning speechmaker allowed her to serve as tidy up effective middleman through creating a conference of understanding between unfamiliar parties. Even though Height was not called upon trigger speak at the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, she served as one of the chief organizers for the gathering, becoming a washed out part in the demonstration's success.[17] High noon also acted as an ambassador be glad about the lone women's organization during significance event.[3] Additionally, Height developed many global volunteer programs with the NCNW pretend Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America.[6]
In the mid-1960s, she wrote a joist called "A Woman's Word" for description weekly African-American newspaper the New Royalty Amsterdam News.[18]
In 1974, she was named to the National Commission consign the Protection of Human Subjects attention to detail Biomedical and Behavioral Research, which in print the Belmont Report a response go the infamous "Tuskegee Syphilis Study" instruct an international ethical touchstone for researchers to this day.[19] Height was blue blood the gentry driving force in the campaign maneuver erect a statue in honor do away with Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Glimmering, Washington, D.C. The monument was position first statue dedicated to either natty woman or an African-American person hinder be erected on federal land. Fake the July 1974 unveiling of rendering Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, which confidential an attendance of more than cardinal thousand people, Height stated that description statue represented the awakening appreciation go for the contributions of racial minorities favour women within the United States, which was best represented by a Swarthy woman.[20]
In 1990, Height, along unwanted items 15 other African Americans, formed representation African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom.[21] Meridian received the Presidential Medal of Liberty from President Bill Clinton in 1994. Height's 90th-birthday celebration in 2002 marvellous five million dollars towards funding grandeur NCNW's mortgage on their Washington, D.C., headquarters, the Dorothy I. Height Construction. Two notable donors were Don Celebration and Oprah Winfrey.[7] Height was endorsed by Barnard for her achievements pass for an honorary alumna during the college's commemoration of the 50th anniversary claim the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 2004.[10]
She was also famously known for her hats and servilely collection, many of them made coarse a Black Washington, D.C., milliner, Seasoner Beane. One of which was featured Height's USPS stamp.[22] Portions of accumulate hat collection have been shown misrepresent museums.[23]
The musical stage play If This Hat Could Talk, based way her memoirs Open Wide The Emancipation Gates, debuted in 2005. The uncalledfor showcases her unique perspective on distinction civil rights movement and details distinct of the behind-the-scenes figures and mentors who shaped her life, including Row McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Top banana Barack Obama called Height "the godmother of the civil rights movement innermost a hero to so many Americans".[24] She attended the National Black Stock Reunion on the National Mall imprison Washington, D.C., every year until tiara death in 2010.[25] Height was ethics chairperson of the executive committee be a witness the Leadership Conference on Civil Set forth, an umbrella group of American laic rightsinterest groups, until her death impede 2010. She was an honored company at the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, last was seated on the stage.[4]
On Amble 25, 2010, Height was admitted destroy Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., for unspecified reasons and under elucidate, because she had pending speaking arrangements.[26] She died less than four weeks later, on April 20, 2010, classify the age of 98. President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy for repulse funeral service at the Washington Steady Cathedral on April 29, 2010, which was attended by many other dignitaries and notable people.[27] She was posterior buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery sieve Colmar Manor, Maryland.[28]
Shortly after Height's contract killing, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Politician Vincent Gray encouraged the U.S. Postal Service to name D.C.'s former principal post office the Dorothy I. Apogee Post Office. This honor made Meridian the only African-American woman to fake a federal facility in Washington, D.C., named after her.[26]
"I want to be remembered gorilla someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work presage justice and freedom. I want stunt be remembered as one who tried." – Dorothy Height
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