Political Quotes

“Dr. Dorothy Height is a steadfast pioneer of women's rights and racial justice for people of color. She has set an example of what can be achieved through commitment and group activism. As the fourth elected president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Height led a crusade for justice for Black women. To help strengthen the Black family, Height conceived of and organized the Black Family Reunion Celebration which has been held here in Washington, D.C. since 1986. Under the leadership of Ms. Height, the NCNW achieved tax exempt status; raised funds from thousands of women in support of erecting a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune (NCNW's founder) in a federal park; developed several model programs to combat teenage pregnancy and address hunger in rural areas; and established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black women, the first institution devoted to Black women's history. She has been instrumental in the initiation of NCNW sponsored food, childcare, housing and career educational programs. No stranger to political activism, in the 1960's, Height called on NCNW to sponsor "Wednesdays in Mississippi" when interracial groups of women would help out at Freedom schools and conduct voter registration drives in the North and voter registration in the South. She worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Roy Wilkins to prevent lynching, desegregate the Armed Forces, reform the criminal justice system, and provide equal access to public accommodations.”