Dorothy Height

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Examiner Bio America losses a great civil rights champion in Dorothy Height
April 21, 2:52 PMLiberal ExaminerJean WilliamsPrevious
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Dr. Dorothy Irene Height
Adrian Hood public domainOnly one day after her 98th birthday, Dorothy Irene Height was admitted to Howard University Hospital in Washington DC, suffering from unknown causes and she passed away on April 20.

Who was Dorothy Height?

She was a tireless activist and civil rights servant from the time she was a young girl until her last days.

Dorothy fought for her education starting in 1929, when she was denied entrance to Barnard College, due to the unwritten policy of the day that only allowed two black women at a time and the quota was full. Instead, Dorothy earned two degrees from New York University, with her masters in educational psychology.

Later in life, Dorothy became the president of the National Council of Negro Women, where she presided for forty years. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

Height attended the National Black Family Reunion every year at the National Mall in Washington DC.

In addition, she was the chairperson for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

Height marched along with Martin Luther King Jr. and was present at the Lincoln Memorial, when King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech at the March