Civil rights activist Dorothy Height passed away on April 20 at the age of 98. During her long and storied career, Height received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush in 2004. She befriended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was present at many of the great moments in civil rights history, including Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
Height began her career as a social worker at the YWCA and eventually became president of the National Council of Negro Women, a position she held for 40 years.
In 1964, Height helped create "Wednesdays in Mississippi", which sent interracial teams of Northern women to Mississippi to discuss racial justice with their Southern counterparts. Later in life, Height became a spokesperson for all forms of equality and worked to make sure the younger generation would follow her path.
Quotes
"Early in life, I learned that it was important to have some goals, and to have a sense that you were not just a worker, but that you had a mission, and to have a sense of a life's work. And I chose to put my life's work in the direction of equality and justice." - Dorothy Irene Height, activist
"So long as God should let me live, I want to be out there working to help to see what needs to be done, and making whatever contribution I can make, doing it not for myself, but for others, not by myself, but with others, and for the betterment of us all." - Dorothy Irene Height, activist
Warm Up Questions
1. What was the civil rights movement? Who were some of its key leaders?
2. What kinds of barriers did African-Americans face in the early 1900s?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you feel that Dorothy Height's goal of equality and justice for all has been achieved? Why or why not?
2. What did Dorothy Height say in the video about her experiences as a female activist? Why might it have been especially difficult to be a woman at that time? Can you think of other female civil rights activists?
3. As a member of the "younger generation" that Height mentions in the video, what kinds of injustices do you see in society that need to be addressed? How do you see Height's work being continued by yourself and your peers?
Additional Resources
White House Celebrates Civil Rights Movement Through Music
