Dorothy Height was the epitome of black achievement, during a period of history in which such achievement was all the more difficult due to legislative barriers. Nevertheless, Ms. Height graduated from New York University with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in educational psychology. She worked alongside First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, with the United Christian Youth Movement. Ms. Height worked tirelessly to promote equal access to education, and to promote the strength of the black family. After a chance meeting with Mary McLeod Bethune, Ms. Height became involved with the National Council of Negro Women. She held the post of president of that organization for more than 40 years. During that time, she traveled the world, working to secure equal rights for people of color, and for women. Her loss will be felt deeply by those of us who held her in esteem.
I have always been grateful for those who fought for Civil Rights. So many of the blessings that I have been able to attain are the result of efforts made by strangers. As I reflect on all that Ms. Height was able to accomplish in her life, it is a reminder to me of just how great a debt I owe to those who sacrificed so much. The only way to pay that debt is to live my life with my eyes firmly on the prize. Just as there were those who came before me, there will be those who come after. My responsibility to them is to live a life measured not by the color of my skin, but by the content of my character. Why? You only need look at women like Dorothy Height, Mary McLeod Bethune, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and so many, many others to know how great the debt I owe.
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