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Dr.
Dorothy I. Height was recently presented with the Congressional Gold
Medal in Washington DC. in recognition of her great service to the
nation. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at the ceremony. The
ceremony took place in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol and coincided
with Dr. Height's 92nd Birthday.
Senator
Clinton extends a shaking hand to President Goerge W. Bush (sitting).
Award Recipient, Dr. Height looks on.
A
FEW LINES ABOUT DR. DOROTHY HEIGHT:
Dr. Height has labored to provide hope for children and their families living in impoverished urban areas, and she is responsible for many of the advances made by women and African Americans over the course of the last century.
Dr. Height was the only female member of the ''Big Six '' civil rights leaders, which included Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, while strategies were developed for the civil rights movement. She 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.
Dr. Height has been President of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) since 1957, a position to which she was appointed upon the retirement of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. NCNW is currently the umbrella organization for 250 local groups and 38 national groups engaged in economic development and other issues of special concern to women. Dr. Height has also been at the forefront of AIDS education, both nationally and internationally, and under her direction, NCNW established offices in West Africa and South Africa and worked to improve the conditions of women throughout Africa and the world.
Dr. Height has also been central to the success of 2 two other influential women's organizations, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). Specifically, as president and executive board member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Dr. Height left the sorority more efficient and globally focused with a centralized headquarters. Her work with the (YWCA) led to its integration and more active participation in the civil rights movement.
She has received innumerable awards for her tireless efforts, including the Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994.
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AWARD
REMARKS: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers her speech during
the awards. READ COMPLETE REMARKS
WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT:
Since the American Revolution, Congress has
commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national
appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Each
medal honors a particular individual, institution, or event. Although
the first recipients included citizens who participated in the American
Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, Congress broadened the
scope of the medal to include actors, authors, entertainers, musicians,
pioneers in aeronautics and space, explorers, lifesavers, notables in
science and medicine, athletes, humanitarians, public servants, and
foreign recipients. Previous awarded include such diverse individuals as
Sir Winston Churchill, Bob Hope, George Washington, Robert Frost, Joe
Louis and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
In
addition to the requirement that all Congressional Gold Medal
legislation must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds (290) of the
Members of the House, specific standards are set forth by Rule VII
(c)(vii) of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services'
Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy when
considering such legislation. Additionally, the Senate Banking, Housing
and Urban Affairs Committee require that at least 67 Senators must
cosponsor any Congressional Gold Medal legislation before the committee will
consider it.
GROUP
PHOTO: Dr. Dorothy Height in a group photo with friends and members
of Congress including Senator Hillary Clinton
Dr. Height, still actively fighting for justice for all Americans at the age of 91, is recognized as one of the preeminent social and civil rights activists of our time, particularly in the struggle for equality, social justice and human rights for all peoples. Her public career spans over 65 years. Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 1930s, she soon gained prominence through her tireless efforts to promote integration in education, to register and educate voters, and to increase the visibility and status of women in our society. MORE
ON DR. DOROTHY HEIGHT SENATOR
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON'S REMARKS
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Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the House and Senate, ladies and gentlemen and especially friends,
admirers and fans of the one and only Dr. Dorothy Height. We are here today to honor a truly great American, someone who has long been an inspiration of mine. Dating back to the first time I met her more than thirty years ago when she was in fact one of my bosses - on the Board of the Children's Defense Fund where I worked and then served on the board with Marian Wright Edelman for many years. And just as in those long ago days, today once again, Dr Height is the best dressed woman in the entire room. 
