Dorothy Height, the Woman of Many Hats

Dorothy Irene Height grew up in Pennsylvania. While attending high school, she won a scholarship to Barnard College.

At that time, Barnard College had a policy to admit only two black students per academic year. Height found she was too late to attend Barnard College after her arrival as the college already had its quota of two black students.

So Height attended New York University instead, earning a Masters Degree in Psychology.

Height began working with the New York City Welfare Dept, then moved on to work for national staff of the YWCA.

Height escorted Eleanor Roosevelt into a National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) meeting. Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded the NCNW. noticed the young Height. She invited Height to join the NCNW and Height was president from 1957 to 1997.

Height became involved in the Civil Rights movement by first organizing "Wednesdays in Mississippi." This event brought women of different races, faiths and backgrounds together to discuss current issues of the day. She is the last living senior organizer of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" March on Washington in 1963.

Height wore many hats. She was consultant on African affairs to the Secretary of State and served on two President's Committees: Employment of the Handicapped and Status of Women and she was also named to the National Council for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

Her memoirs "Open Wide the Freedom Gates" were published in 2003 by PublicAffairs. "If This Hat Could Talk," a stageplay based on Height's memoirs, toured for a number of years and played the Apollo Theater in 2007.

In 1986, Height organized the first National Black Family Reunion held annually on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, She continues attending the celebration as well as serving as Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. She was an honored guest at President Obama's inauguration.

Height has received 24 honorary degrees for her contributions to Civil Rights and social work. She was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to her in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal presented by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Ironically, Barnard College awarded Height the Barnard Medal of Distinction at a graduation ceremony in 1980. The school officially apologized to Height at that time for refusing her admittance. The scholarship which she won to attend Barnard was an oratorical contest on the United States Constitution.

Sources:

News From the National Council of Churches
National Association of Social Workers