Dr. Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010)

NABSW Immediate Past President, Dr. Batiste-Roberts writes:

We were all deeply saddened to hear of the loss of one of the great pioneers of our time Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. Known as the “godmother of the women's movement”, she lived a life to help and serve others through her selfless actions and dedication to improve the struggle for all women. During her time working with the New York City Welfare Department as a caseworker, she joined the National Council of Negro Women then later the YWCA. She also served as National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority from 1946 to 1957, and remained active thereafter. In 1957, she was named president of the National Council of Negro Women, which she held until 1997. People began taking to her counsel including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Dr. Height also encouraged President Dwight D. Eisenhower to desegregate schools and President Lyndon B. Johnson to appoint African American women to positions in government. In 2004, Dr. Height was recognized by Barnard- a school she was once turned down from because of her race- for her achievements as an honorary alumna during its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Dr. Height was the chairperson of the Executive Committee of the largest civil rights organization in the US; the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She was also an honored guest and seated on stage at the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. Dr. Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010) earned many medals and honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. During her long life of service, she was able to recently provide our organization with hope and inspiration when she spoke in July 2009 at our steering committee meeting in Washington, D.C. Although she never married or had any children, her legacy will forever live on with us in each of our hearts.