Civil Rights Leader Dorothy I. Height Remains Hospitalized: Students Pay Tribute

On March 24  Dr. Dorothy Height was rushed to the intensive care unit of  Howard University Hospital with condition unknown.  Youth from the National Council of Negro Women’s Rites of Passage program were scheduled to have lunch with Height today paid tribute to her today.   Height who recently celebrated her 98th birthday was unable to attend her party due to illness, but since she couldn’t be there, they decided to come to the luncheon decked out in a trademark hat like Height herself often wears.

President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Height worked tirelessly during the civil rights era as one of the few women in the movement to take the spotlight. She stood side-by-side with such civil rights greats as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A. Philip Randolph and Whitney Young. On the platform right next to Dr. King, Height stood proudly as he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to a massive crowd of supporters at the 1963 march on Washington, D.C.

The former Congressional Gold Medal, Medal of Freedom and Spingarn Medal recipient was elected in 1957 as the fourth president of NCNW and served until 1998. Throughout the decades, Height has worked incessantly as a crusader to strengthen the black family unit and for injustices against the rights of black women.

Height remains in stable but critical condition.  Details about her condition have not been made public. We wish her a speed recovery.

Posted by The Cotillion Online on Mar 31 2010. Filed under Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.