Dorothy Height, 1912-2010
Dorothy Height, 1912-2010
Dorothy Height focused on improving the circumstances of, and opportunities for, African-American women. Her civil rights career began in the 1930s protesting discrimination in Harlem. In the 1950s, she pressured President Eisenhower to more aggressively pursue school desegregation. As president of the National Council of Negro Women from 1957-1997, she became the most influential woman within the civil rights movement’s leadership. In the 1990s, she drew young people into her cause in the war against drugs, illiteracy and unemployment. The numerous honors bestowed upon her include the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004).
Dorothy Height, 1912-2010
Dorothy Height focused on improving the circumstances of, and opportunities for, African-American women. Her civil rights career began in the 1930s protesting discrimination in Harlem. In the 1950s, she pressured President Eisenhower to more aggressively pursue school desegregation. As president of the National Council of Negro Women from 1957-1997, she became the most influential woman within the civil rights movement’s leadership. In the 1990s, she drew young people into her cause in the war against drugs, illiteracy and unemployment. The numerous honors bestowed upon her include the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004).