Date: 2010-04-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and my colleague from Texas for his presence and comments on the floor about Dr. Dorothy Height and. as well. the author of the resolution. I am very proud to have joined Congresswoman FUDGE to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and come to the floor today. as we did yesterday. for I believe that the celebration of Dr. Heights life needs no stopping. if you will. If we continue to commemorate her throughout this week. it will not be able to account for her service. And for those who may not be familiar with Dr. Dorothy Height. I only wish that this picture was in color. For maybe as you look at this lady adorned with this fabulous hat. well attired. you will remember seeing in many pictures with Presidents. kings and queens. international leaders. a lady who was appropriately attired with that dapper and beautiful hat. The color that I remember most is her beautiful aqua. and I say that only because many times we look at women as to how they are adorned. I think that Dr. Height did not fail to be noticed when she came into a room. both by her stature and her attire. but certainly by her words. I would count her the most influential woman in the Civil Rights Movement. a friend to many. one who empowered women and clearly progeny of Mary McLeod Bethune. what a wonderful legacy that was given to Dr. Height in her leadership of the National Council of Negro Women for some 40 years. There are chapters throughout the Nation. and I am grateful to be a member of the Dorothy Height Chapter in Houston. Texas. There are many. and I must remind my colleagues and those that are listening. that the name continues to be the National Council of Negro Women. which was the name that was given by Mary McLeod Bethune. No one dared view that as any undermining of the dignity and purpose. reliability and. of course. the power of this organization. No one ran away from the word "negro" because we knew that in that word there was struggle. there was a showing of what we overcame. And to the instruction of Mary McLeod Bethune. we knew that it captured the empowerment of women. but it also spoke to the education of our children. Dr. Dorothy Height was in the center point of that. I had the privilege of coming here to the United States Congress and being able to look up to Dr. Height as I got to know her even before my congressional duties. What a pleasure to be able to join C. DeLores Tucker at her annual events and the National Council of Black Political Women to deal with her seeking empowerment for women. and as well to be able to join with then Betty Shabazz. Dr. Dorothy Height. and Coretta Scott King. What a powerful group of women whose history paralleled each other. but in essence they were sisters. And so I rise today to be able to acknowledge this glorified woman who came eagerly to the National Council that was headed by C. DeLores Tucker and now by E. Faye Williams. and to be able to thank her. When we were looking to pass legislation to include Sojourner Truth as the only standing figure now of an African American woman in this United States Congress. this great heroine. this great woman added her leverage. her power. her support and sisterhood to ensure that we placed Sojourner Truth. a suffragette and an abolitionist. here. So Dr. Height. as you rest today. let it be known that we do recommit ourselves to the universal access of education for all children. for the education of Americas children. for reminding us that Haitis childrennow suffering in the wane of an earthquakemust be provided education. and to be reminded that there is no shame in being an agitator and a provocateur and someone who fights for freedom and justice. We are in your debt. the godmother. if you will. of civil rights. We will be forever in your debt. And the women and the men and the many different rainbow colors of these United States and around the world. people will be indebted to you for your common touch. for your spirit. and. yes. for saving so many of us. May God bless your soul. May you rest in peace as we celebrate over these days your life. God bless you. Dr. Dorothy Height. Madam Speaker. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1281. Honoring the life and Achievements of Dr. Dorothy Height and Recognizing her Lifelong Dedication and Leadership in the Struggle for Human Rights and Equality for All People Until Her Death at Age 95 on April 20. I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Dorothy I. Height who was a national treasure and a civil rights icon. For more than half a century. Dorothy Irene Height played a leading role in the never ending struggle for equality and human rights here at home and around the world. Her life exemplifies her passionate commitment for a just society and her vision of a better world. Dr. Height was a social justice and civil rights activist. a servant of the people. one who served a number of Presidents. a humanitarian. American. a hero. and a great patriot. She believed in womens rights and the empowerment of minorities. She was an inspiration to all women. She never ran away from the fight for justice. All of those are words without motion. unless you had the privilege to know Dr. Dorothy Height as I did. You would then be captured by her charm. her energy. her insight. her intellect and her compassion. Her legacy is one of a glorious and wonderful champion of the people. Dorothy Height witnessed or participated in virtually every major movement for social and political change in the last century. During the 1963 civil rights March on Washington. Dorothy Height was the only woman on the podium when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. For nearly 75 years. Dorothy Height fought for the equality and human rights of all people. She was the only female member of the "Big 6" civil rights leaders (Whitney Young. Jr.. A. Philip Randolph. Martin Luther King. Jr.. James Farmer. and Roy Wilkins). Her vision and dedication made the National Council of Negro Women the premier organization in advocating for the health. education. and economic empowerment for all women of African descent around the world. Dorothy Height was born in Richmond. Virginia. March 24. 1912. and educated in the public schools of Rankin. Pennsylvania. a borough of Pittsburgh. where her family moved when she was four. She established herself early as a dedicated student with exceptional oratorical skills. After winning a $1.000 scholarship in a national oratorical contest on the United States Constitution. sponsored by the Fraternal Order of the Elks. and compiling a distinguished academic record. she enrolled in New York University where she earned both her bachelor and masters degrees in just 4 years. She continued her postgraduate studies at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work. In 1933. Dorothy Height joined the United Christian Youth Movement of North America where her leadership qualities earned her the trust and confidence of her peers. It was during this period that she began to emerge as an effective civil rights advocate as she worked to prevent lynching. desegregate the Armed Forces. reform the criminal justice system. and provide free access to public accommodations. In 1935. Dorothy Height was appointed by New York government officials to deal with the aftermath of the Harlem riot of As Vice President of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America. Dorothy Height was 1 of only 10 American youth delegates to the 1937 World Conference on Life and Work of the Churches held in Oxford. England. Two years later she was selected to represent the YWCA at the World Conference of Christian Youth in Amsterdam. Holland. Madam Speaker. it was in 1937. while serving as Assistant Executive Director of the Harlem YWCA. that Dorothy Height met Mary McLeod Bethune. founder and president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Mrs. Bethune was immediately impressed with young Dorothy Heights poise and intelligence and invited her to join the NCNW and assist in the quest for womens rights to full and equal employment. pay and education. In 1938. Dorothy Height was 1 of 10 young Americans invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to Hyde Park. NY to help plan and prepare for the World Youth Conference to be held at Vassar College. For the next several years. Dorothy Height served in a dual role: as a YWCA staff member and NCNW volunteer. integrating her training as a social worker and her commitment to rise above the limitations of race and sex. She rose quickly through the ranks of the YWCA. from working at the Emma Ransom House in Harlem to the Executive Directorship of the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA in Washington. DC. to the YWCA National headquarters office. For 33 years. from 1944 through 1977. Dorothy Height served on the staff of the National Board of the YWCA and held several leadership positions in public affairs and leadership training and as Director of the National YWCA School for Professional Workers. In 1965. she was named Director of the Center for Racial Justice. a position she held until her retirement. In 1952. Dorothy Height lived in India. where she worked as a visiting professor in the Delhi School of Social Work at the University of Delhi. which was founded by the YWCAs of India. Burma and Ceylon. She would become renowned for her internationalism and humanitarianism. She traveled around the world expanding the work of the YWCA. She conducted a wellreceived study of the training of womens organizations in five African countries: Liberia. Ghana. Guinea. Sierra Leone. and Nigeria under the Committee of Correspondence. Dorothy Height loved and led her sorority. Delta Sigma Theta. She was elected National President of the sorority in 1947 and served in that capacity until 1956. She led the sorority to a new level of organizational development. initiation eligibility. and social action throughout her term. Her leadership training skills. social work background and knowledge of volunteerism benefited the sorority as it moved into a new era of activism on the national and international scene. In 1957. Dorothy Height was elected the fourth National President of NCNW and served in that position for 40 years. when she became Chair of the Board and President Emerita. In 1960. Dorothy Height was the woman team member leader in the United Civil Rights Leadership along with Martin Luther King. Whitney H. Young. A. Philip Randolph. James Farmer. Roy Wilkins and JOHN LEWIS. In 1961. while Dorothy Height was participating in major Civil Rights leadership. she led NCNW to deal with unmet needs among women and their families to combat hunger. develop cooperative pig banks. and provided families with community freezers and showers. In 1964. after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Dorothy Height with Polly Cowan. an NCNW Board Member. organized teams of women of different races and faith as "Wednesdays in Mississippi" to assist in the freedom schools and open communication between women of difference races. The workshops which followed stressed the need for decent housing which became the basis for NCNW in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop Turnkey III Home Ownership for low income families in Gulfport. Mississippi. In 1970. Dorothy Height directed the series of activities culminating in the YWCA Convention adopting as its "One Imperative" to the elimination of racism. That same year she also established the Womens Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City to prepare women for entry level jobs. This experience led her in 1975 to collaborate with Pace College to establish a course of study leading to the Associate Degree for Professional Studies (AAPS). In 1975. Dorothy Height participated in the Tribunal at the International Womens Year Conference of the United Nations in Mexico City. As a result of this experience. NCNW was awarded a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hold a conference within the conference for women from the United States. African countries. South America. Mexico and the Caribbean. This was followed with a site visit with 50 of the women to visit with rural women in Mississippi. Under the auspices of the USAID. Dorothy Height lectured in South Africa after addressing the National Convention of the Black Womens Federation of South Africa near Johannesburg (1977). Since 1986. she has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Black family. Madam Speaker. under the leadership of Dorothy Height: NCNW achieved taxexempt status in 1966. NCNW dedicated the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park. Washington D.C. in 1974. the first woman to be so honored on public land in the Nations Capital. Developed model national and communitybased programs ranging from teenage parenting to pig "banks"-which addressed hunger in rural areas. Established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women. the first institution devoted to black womens history. Established the Bethune Council House as a national historic site. Transformed NCNW into an issueoriented political organization. sponsoring "Wednesdays in Mississippi" when interracial groups of women would help out at Freedom Schools. organizing voter registration drives in the South. and fostering communications between black and white women. Established the Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986 to reinforce the historic strengths and traditional values of the Black family. Among the major awards bestowed upon Dorothy Irene Height in gratitude and appreciation for her service to our nation and the world are the following: Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Bill Clinton. Congressional Gold Medal presented by President George W. Bush. John F. Kennedy Memorial Award. NAACPSpingarn Medal. Hadassah Myrtle Wreath of Achievement. Ministerial Interfaith Association Award. Ladies Home JournalWoman of the Year. Congressional Black CaucusDecades of Service. President Ronald ReaganCitizens Medal. Franklin RooseveltFreedom Medal. Essence Award. and the Camille Cosby World of Children Award. Dorothy Height was also elected to the National Womens Hall of Fame and is the recipient of 36 honorary degrees from colleges and universities as diverse as Tuskegee University. Harvard University. Spelman College. Princeton University. Bennett College. Pace University. Lincoln University. Columbia University Howard University. New York University. Morehouse College. and Meharry Medical College. Madam Speaker. Dorothy Height has witnessed or participated in virtually every major movement for social and political change in the last century. For nearly 75 years. Dorothy Height has fought for the equality and human rights of all people. She was the only female member of the "Big 6" civil rights leaders (Whitney Young. Jr.. A. Philip Randolph. Martin Luther King. Jr.. James Farmer. and Roy Wilkins). Her vision and dedication made NCNW the premier organization in advocating for the health. education and economic empowerment for all women of African descent around the world. Thank you. Dorothy Height. for your service to our nation. You have made America a better place for all persons of all races. religions. and backgrounds. You have mentored hundreds. been a role model to thousands. and a hero to millions. You are an American original. I am glad to count you as a friend.