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Birth
Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond, Virginia to a building contractor and a nurse. -
Early Years
At the age of five, Dorothy's family moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania. Dorothy attended Rankin's racially integrated school system through high school. During her time at Rankin, she became an outstanding public speaker which allowed her to attend a national orators completion, which she won. By winning this competition, Height was able to earn a scholarship to attend college. -
College
After earning a scholarship to attend college, Dorothy applied and was accepted to Barnard College. Her admittance was then redacted by the school stating that they had already met their astounding quota of two black students for that school year. Height did not let this discourage her, she enrolled to New York University where she earned a bachelor's degree in education in and a master's degree in psychology in 1932. -
Early Adult Life
After graduating college, Dorothy worked as a social worker in Harlem, New York for five years. She then joined the Harlem Young Women's Christian Association or YWCA. Height quickly became a leader of her local YWCA. As the leader of the organization, Height believed in diversity and integration and pushed for the change to be adapted at all YWCA chapters nationwide. -
Early Activism
During Height's time with the YWCA, she was able to win her fight for integration of all YWCA centers in 1946. Height then went on to establish the Center for Racial Justice as a part of the YWCA in 1965 which she lead until 1977. -
National Council of Negro Women
After meeting Mary McLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt, Height decided to pursue the fight for African Americans by volunteering with the National Council of Negro Women. Height wanted to end the lynching of African Americans and to do so, she fought for change and ultimately alter the criminal justice system. The NCNW also gave support to voter registration in the South. Dorothy Height became the president of the National Council of Negro Women in 1957 and retained that position for 40 years. -
Political Ties
Through her work as an activists during the civil rights movement and in her position as president of the NCNW, Height was called on regularly in regards to political issues. She aided people such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She also worked with other political activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, and John Lewis, along with other members of the "Big Six." -
The March of Washington
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Dorothy Height along with the "Big Six": A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, MLK, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, and John Lewis helped to organize the march. Over 200,000 people participated in the march to fight for jobs and freedom in America for all Americans. Women were not welcomed to speak at the march but Dorothy along with many other women continued to work on the front lines. -
The Fight for Women's Rights
Women were apart of The March on Washington but women were not really a part of the march. Women were not able to speak as MLK did that day in August but they were the backbone to the organization of it. In 1971, Height joined Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, and Shirley Chisholm to form the National Women's Political Caucus to pursue the fight for women's rights. -
Accolades
In 1994, Height was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton. In 2004, President George W. Bush presented Dorothy the Congressional Gold Medal. -
Death
Dorothy Height died at 98 years old on April 20, 2010 in Washington, D.C. -