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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
Dr. Dorothy Height
DOROTHY HEIGHT IS HONORED
Civil Rights activist gets the Congressional Gold Medal Today.
In Washington, D.C., October 3, 2003, Dorothy Height presents her newly published memoir to Sen. John Kerry, a Democratic presidential candidate. (Mar. 24, 2004) Black woman extraordinaire,
Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, will receive the
Congressional Gold Medal today, her 92nd birthday. Her work for the empowerment of black women, black men, black family, and the community of America has spanned most of the 20th century. Dr. Height has been at the forefront of rights for black women, but also the
civil rights struggle of the 1960s. She organized voter registration in the South, voter education in the North, and scholarship programs for student civil rights workers. In the 1970s, she helped the
NCNW win grants to provide vocational training and assist women in opening businesses. But these are only a few of her innumerable accomplishments that range well into the new millennium. This 92-year-old has every reason to be exhausted and resting on her laurels, but that is not the type of woman being honored today. "I've been very fortunate to have relatively good health," said Dr. Height. "I'm driven by my purpose. There is so much to do and so little time to get it done. The focus on the issues that are affecting our people affect the whole country and we have to put everything into it that we have." Black woman extraordinaire,
Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, will receive the
Congressional Gold Medal today. Her work for the empowerment of black women, black men, black family, and the community of America has spanned most of the 20th century. She has received numerous awards for her vigorous efforts, including The Spingarn Award, the NAACP's highest honor for civil rights contributions, Citizens Medal Award from
President Ronald Reagan in 1989 and the
Medal of Freedom from
President Bill Clinton in 1994. Born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 24, 1912, Ms. Height went on to receive both her bachelor's and master's degrees from New York University in Educational Psychology. In 1937, Height was invited into the National Council of Negro Women by its founder,
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. She became a volunteer and in 1957 became the fourth president of the NCNW. She held the position until 1998. Dr. Height has been at the forefront of rights for black women, but also the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. She organized voter registration in the South, voter education in the North, and scholarship programs for student civil rights workers. In the 1970s, she helped the NCNW win grants to provide vocational training and assist women in opening businesses. But these are only a few of her innumerable accomplishments that range well into the new millennium. This 92-year-old has every reason to be exhausted and resting on her laurels, but that is not the type of woman being honored today. "I've been very fortunate to have relatively good health," said Dr. Height. "I'm driven by my purpose. There is so much to do and so little time to get it done. The focus on the issues that are affecting our people affect the whole country and we have to put everything into it that we have." The humanitarian and civil rights activist was unanimously chosen to receive the
Congressional Gold Medal and it is overwhelming for the activist. "On my 92nd birthday, March 24, I will receive the
Congressional Gold Medal and I am honored that it was a unanimous decision on both sides of the House. It is a really humbling experience," she admits. "I can't even imagine. When I see the other people who have received it I'm so grateful." The process of receiving the medal is also an honor for Dr. Height. Not only did she have Congress vote unanimously that she receive the award, but the President of the United States must also sign the bill into law. "It takes the act of Congress, the House first passed it and then December 6, Bush signed it into law," said Dr. Height. "The gold medal is being designed and one gold medal given to me and a replica in bronze that will be made available for sale. I wanted to make sure that history would always know that the female's face on that medal is an
African American woman. The quote 'We as African American women seldom do what we want to do, but always do what we have to do' is the quote I put on there. Height added, "It will take the Mint 'till August to get the whole thing complete. They will have it in some form and I will be wearing a hat, my face will be on it. I'm known for my hats," she quipped. "The back of it will have the building the National Council of Negro Women purchased on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the Capitol." NCNW's headquarters building at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue is the only building representing and owned by African Americans on Washington, DC's "policy row." It was Height's vision to establish ownership of the historic organizations headquarters. Dr. Height has written a book of memoirs that is sure to be more engaging and educational on the history of the United States than any encyclopedia. She will certainly give a wealth of information on those who helped carve America's present state for African Americans. "I've just written my memoirs, "Open Wide The Freedom Gates," she said. "I am fortunate to have three-fourths of the century to have lived through so many situations and periods in our history when life was changing in one way or another, women's rights, civil rights, human rights," she explained. "Somehow, I feel it's a story that tells less about me and more about what it was like, what the struggle has been and what kind of people have been instrumental in change and whom I've had experience working with." Although she is happy with the progress of the nation, she concedes that there is undeniably more to accomplish. "Times are indeed different. There has been a great deal of progress, but no doubt there's a long way to go," said Height. "I take pride that there are more African Americans in elected office, more women, more who have advanced education. And of course we have changed the laws in the Brown vs. Board of Education that declared desegregation." In the center of all the progress she and others have made, she agrees that there is a widening gap between the have's and the have not's. But she, as always, offers a solution to the encompassing state of affairs. "We have to give attention to what is happening to the great amount of people. The people at the top have to redouble efforts to pull those at the bottom. I always believe that things can be changed." Politically, Dr. Height has set the stage for knowledgeable discourse on the subject of the Democratic party and its present controversy amongst African Americans. "Personally, I'm a Democrat. I think no matter what the Party, we have to stand up for those things we know are right," said Height. "In writing my memoirs, I tried to say that we cannot have permanent friends, we have permanent issues. It looks like the Democrats take us for granted. It's up to us as citizens to take our own action and be heard. We need to be responsible voters, register and vote. Look at our lives and see what we need and what it is and make sure those needs are met." Dr. Height also cleared up the issue on the controversial expiration of African Americans right to vote via the Voters Rights Act that has been widely circulated on the Internet. "It's not quite rescinded. There are
voting acts of 1965 that have to be renewed every 5 years, there is a section that has to be renewed. It's a must," she explained. "Voting has been assured, but the part of the act that deals with the government assuring the resources to implement the vote is the issue. We would not have the resources to enforce it. We are constantly having to go back to get the enforcement. But the basic act or the basic right to vote is assured." Dr. Height was the only woman in a dynamic order of civil rights activists and she grew to appreciate her position amongst them. "I was there. I was the woman member in the United Civil Rights Movement working with
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Roy Wilkins,
Whitney Young,
A. Phillip Randolph and I came to appreciate that we must advance our people," she said. "Some of the marches and activities, if you looked at them, we had the male leadership, but we had the great followers ... women, children, young people. King said, we should never forget the true heroes that made up the marches, the little children in the marches, the young people at the counters. That's the reason it's so important for this generation to know what previous generations did to get us to this point and how within the context of today they can make a difference." Today, we salute Dr. Dorothy Height and all of her accomplishments that helped us sit in the positions of freedom that we take for granted. She says it best when she offered these words of encouragement: "I think that we're at a place now where so many are forgotten, but we're still at a place to get those gates open. We need to know how they got open, so we can open more for others."
J. C. Brooks
Remarks by President Bush at the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
Honoring Dr. Dorothy Height
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