Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of this resolution to honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height. Widely recognized as the godmother of the civil rights movement, Dr. Height devoted her life to the cause of equality and justice for all people. A social worker by training, Dr. Height served on the staff of the Young Women's Christian Association for thirty three years and as president of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades. With uncommon dignity and her trademark hats, Dr. Height advised Presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama. In the 1960s, she organized the ``Wednesdays in Mississippi'' initiative to further understanding between white women and black women in the north and the south. She penned a regular column called ``A Woman's Word'' in the venerable African-American weekly the New York Amsterdam News. And she chronicled her unique experience in the leadership of the civil rights movement in her 2005 memoir ``Open Wide The Freedom Gates''. For her service to our nation, Dr. Height was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Reagan in 1989, the Presidential Medal of Honor from President Clinton in 1994 and the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2004. Today, I add my voice to those celebrating her life's work and achievements, and I yield back the balance of my time.”