[CrimsonAngel2001]

Dorothy Height Congressional Gold Medal Bill Passes House

Washington, D.C.- Today the House of Representatives unanimously voted to approve legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Dorothy Height.

"I don't believe there is any recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal whose career has been as long or active as Dr. Height's," remarked Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-33rdCA), the sponsor of the legislation. "She is recognized as the preeminent social and civil rights activist of our time and is known as the grand dame of the America's civil rights movement. I am honored to be the sponsor of legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Height. It is now my hope that the Senate will act soon on companion legislation."


Dr. Height, who turned ninety earlier this year, is recognized as one of the preeminent social and civil rights activist of the 20th Century. As a young woman, Dr. Height joined forces with Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) . For the next five decades, Dr. Height worked tirelessly as a civil rights advocate. She was the only woman at the table when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others made plans for the civil rights movement. As an advisor to Presidents through their First Ladies, Dr. Height effected significant change in the lives of not only African American women, but all women and their loved ones. She counseled Eleanor Roosevelt and prodded President Eisenhower to desegregate the nation's schools. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Citizens Medal Award, presented by President Reagan, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, presented by President Clinton.