On the recordApril 20, 2010
Today a giant of a human being, a light at the end of the tunnel, a calm voice in the midst of a storm, but yet a woman who could create a storm around the issues of freedom and justice, passed away from this world and from our hearts. Dr. Dorothy Irene Height died today. And I want to join with my colleagues and, as well, the Honorable Diane Watson, who will have a special hour in tribute to Dr. Height tonight, but I wanted to take the time to make sure that every aspect of our Record today reflected on her loss. We have lost, of course, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, who we have paid tribute to today as well. But in this life, there are few giants who reach down to talk to those who are still learning. Dr. Dorothy Height was that woman. She was the only woman that was present at the 1963 historic and powerful March on Washington. She stayed steadfast in her meetings with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and of course she was successor to the National Council of Negro Women. The only building on Pennsylvania Avenue owned by African Americans, and in this instance African American women, is the Office of the National Council headed by Dr. Dorothy Height; a historic presence on Pennsylvania Avenue just a few blocks away from the White House. What a statement of power.
