LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the life and accomplishments of Doro-
thy Height, a leader and pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy Height, a civic icon of women and minorities, and
President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, died on Tues-
day, April 20, 2010, at the age of 98; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy Height's career in civil rights spanned nearly 80
years, from anti-lynching protests in the early 1930s to being an
honored witness at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009;
he called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement and hero to so
many Americans"; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy Height worked on many projects of national signif-
icance alongside the "Big Six" male civil rights leaders; in 1963 she
sat next to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during his epochal "I Have a
Dream" speech at the March on Washington; and
WHEREAS, A star scholar, Dorothy Height was accepted at Barnard
College in 1929, only to be told by the dean that she could not enroll
that year because the quota for Negro students had already been met;
subsequently, she enrolled in New York University, where she earned a
Bachelors degree in Education and a Masters degree in Psychology; 75
years after being turned away, Barnard College awarded Ms. Height its
highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction; and
WHEREAS, After serving as a caseworker with the New York City Welfare
Department, Dorothy Height became Assistant Executive Director of the
Harlem YWCA in the late 1930s, catching the attention of the interna-
tional news media by speaking out against the "slave markets" exploiting
black women working as domestic day workers; and
WHEREAS, At the age of 25, Dorothy Height became a member of the
National Council of Negro Women and served as its President from 1957 to
1997, overseeing programs ranging from voting rights, to poverty and
AIDS; and
WHEREAS, In 1946, Dorothy Height oversaw the nationwide desegregation
of the YWCA; in 1965, she founded the YWCA's Center for Racial Justice,
which she led until 1977; and
WHEREAS, From 1946 to 1957, Dorothy Height served as the President of
Delta Sigma Theta, an international sorority of black women; and, along
with Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and others, Ms.
Height founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded Dorothy Height the
Presidential Medal of Freedom; in 2004, she was presented with the
Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit, imbued with a sense of
compassion, and comforted by a loving family, Dorothy Height leaves
behind a legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will
remain as a comforting memory to all she fought for, served and
befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dorothy Height, heroine of the
Civil Rights Movement, and to express our deepest condolences to her
sister, Anthanette Aldridge; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Anthanette Aldrige.