IIB 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1821
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 16, 2003
Received 
OCTOBER 21, 2003
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs 
AN ACT 
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height 
in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings:
HR 1821 RFS 
(1) Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was born March 
24, 1912, to James Edward Height and Fannie 
(Borroughs) Height in Richmond, Virginia and 
raised in Rankin, Pennsylvania. 
(2) Dr. Height is recognized as one of the pre-
eminent social and civil rights activists of her time, 
particularly in the struggle for equality, social jus-
tice, and human rights for all peoples. 
(3) Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 
1930s, she soon gained prominence through her tire-
less efforts to promote interracial schooling, to reg-
ister and educate voters, and to increase the visi-
bility and status of women in our society. 
(4) She has labored to provide hope for inner-
city children and their families, and she can claim 
responsibility for many of the advances made by 
women and African-Americans over the course of 
this century. 
(5) Her public career spans over 65 years. 
(6) Dr. Height was a valued consultant on 
human and civil rights issues to First Lady Eleanor 
Roosevelt and she encouraged President Eisenhower 
to desegregate the Nation’s schools and President 
Johnson to appoint African-American women to sub-
Cabinet posts.
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(7) Dr. Height has been President of the Na-
tional Council of Negro Women (NCNW) since 
1957, a position to which she was appointed upon 
the retirement of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, one of 
the most influential African-American women in 
United States history. 
(8) The National Council of Negro Women is 
currently the umbrella organization for 250 local 
groups and 38 national groups engaged in economic 
development and women’s issues. 
(9) Under Dr. Height’s leadership, the National 
Council of Negro Women implemented a number of 
new and innovative programs and initiatives, includ-
ing the following: 
(A) Operation Woman Power, a project to 
expand business ownership by women and to 
provide funds for vocational training. 
(B) Leadership training for African-Amer-
ican women in the rural South. 
(C) The Black Family Reunion, a nation-
wide annual gathering to encourage, renew and 
celebrate the concept of not only the Black fam-
ily but all families.
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(D) The Women’s Center for Education 
and Career Advancement to empower minority 
women in nontraditional careers.
(E) The Bethune Museum and Archives, a 
museum devoted to African-American women’s 
history. 
(10) Dr. Height has been at the forefront of 
AIDS education, both nationally and internationally; 
under her direction, the National Council of Negro 
Women established offices in West Africa and South 
Africa and worked to improve the conditions of 
women in the developing world. 
(11) Dr. Height has been central in the success 
of 2 other influential women’s organizations, as fol-
lows: 
(A) As president and executive board mem-
ber of Delta Sigma Theta, Dr. Height left the 
sorority more efficient and globally focused with 
a centralized headquarters. 
(B) Her work with the Young Women’s 
Christian Association (YWCA) led to its inte-
gration and more active participation in the 
civil rights movement. 
(12) As a member of the ‘‘Big Six’’ civil rights 
leaders with Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph,
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Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, and Roy 
Wilkins, Dr. Height was the only female at the table 
when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and oth-
ers made plans for the civil rights movement. 
(13) Dr. Height is the recipient of many 
awards and accolades for her efforts on behalf of 
women’s rights, including the following: 
(A) The Spingarn Award, the NAACP’s 
highest honor for civil rights contributions. 
(B) The Presidential Medal of Freedom 
awarded by President Clinton. 
(C) The John F. Kennedy Memorial 
Award from the National Council of Jewish 
Women. 
(D) The Ministerial Interfaith Association 
Award for her contributions to interfaith, inter-
racial, and ecumenical movements for over 30 
years. 
(E) The Lovejoy Award, the highest rec-
ognition by the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks of the World for 
outstanding contributions to human relations. 
(F) The Ladies Home Journal Woman of 
the Year Award in recognition for her work for 
human rights.
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(G) The William L. Dawson Award pre-
sented by the Congressional Black Caucus for 
decades of public service to people of color and 
particularly women. 
(H) The Citizens Medal Award for distin-
guished service presented by President Reagan. 
(I) The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Free-
dom Medal awarded by the Franklin and Elea-
nor Roosevelt Institute. 
(14) Dr. Dorothy Height has established a last-
ing legacy of public service that has been an invalu-
able contribution to the progress of this Nation. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, to Dr. 
Dorothy Irene Height a gold medal of appropriate design 
in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em-
blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 
Secretary.
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SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medals struck under section 2 at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 
The medals struck under this Act are national medals 
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 
OF SALE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
hereby authorized to be charged against the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed 
$30,000 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under 
section 2. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 
deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
Fund.
Passed the House of Representatives October 15, 
2003. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.