NAACP Honors the Life of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond, Virginia on March 24, 1912; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height attended New York University and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in four years; and she did postgraduate work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work; and

WHEREAS, in 1933, Dorothy Irene Height became a leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America in the New Deal era doing such things as participating and protesting in Harlem; and

WHEREAS, for thirty-three years (33) (1944 - 1977), Dorothy Irene Height served on the staff of the National Board of the YWCA of the USA; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height was elected 10th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1947 and served until l956, where she carried the Sorority to a new level of organizational development, initiation eligibility and social action throughout her term; and

WHEREAS, Mary McLeod Bethune, founder and president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), invited Dorothy Irene Height to join the NCNW in her quest for women's rights to full and equal employment, pay and education; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height was elected the fourth National President of NCNW in 1957 and served until l998 when she became Chair and President Emeritus; and

WHEREAS, in 1960, Dorothy Irene Height was the single female leader among the United Civil Rights Leadership consisting of Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney M. Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins and John Lewis; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, she was honored with the NAACP Spingarn Medal Award; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President William Jefferson Clinton; and

WHEREAS, on her 92nd birthday March 24, 2004, President George W. Bush presented her the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian and most distinguished award presented by the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, she received three (3) dozen honorary doctorates from prominent institutions, however, there was one academic honor the equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree that resonated more strongly than all the rest when in 2004, 75 years after turning her away, Barnard College designated her as an honorary graduate; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height served as Chairman of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights from 1994 until her death; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height was considered the matriarch of the civil rights movement; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama referred to Height as "the Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement and a hero to so many Americans."

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP during its 101st Annual National Convention, in Kansas City, Missouri and from this day forward celebrates and honors the legacy of Dorothy Irene Height; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution is given to the next living survivor, to the National Council of Negro Women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and that a copy is placed in the archives of the NAACP