National Association of Social Workers

Remembering Dr. Dorothy I. Height, March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010

‘A One-of-a-Kind American Heroine’

President Barack Obama delivered a passionate eulogy at Dr. Dorothy I. Height’s funeral service.

By Paul R. Pace, News Staff

Illustration: John Michael Yanson

NASW honored the remarkable life and ongoing legacy left by Dr. Dorothy I. Height, who died April 20 at age 98.

“I think we have lost a giant leader,” said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark. “She was a remarkable woman who worked for not only civil rights, but also women’s rights in general.”

Height was most widely known as the longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women and the godmother of the civil rights movement, and for helping to integrate the YWCA.

She was also a proud social worker and NASW Foundation Social Work Pioneerw. She was honored recently with the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Social Work.

In an effort to continue her legacy of equality and human rights, the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 795, S. 686) was reintroduced in the 111th Congress. It proposes that the Secretary of Health and Human Services create a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to address policy issues associated with recruitment, retention, research and reinvestment in the social work profession.

Height’s support of the bill was in step with her busy schedule in Washington. She never slowed down — even as her age approached the century mark. At the time of her death, she was the board chairwoman of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women.

She visited the White House 21 times in recent months and was joined by Clark for several White House ceremonies that promoted social work advocacy.

President Barack Obama delivered a passionate eulogy at Height’s funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. He was joined by first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The president said he came to know the civil rights icon in the early days of his presidential campaign. She “took part in our discussions around health care reform in her final months,” he said, noting she was hard to miss, thanks in part to Height’s affinity for colorful hats.

Height was raised in a different age, beyond the experience of many today, the president explained.

“Jim Crow ruled the South,” he said. “The Klan was on the rise — a powerful political force. Lynching was all too often the penalty for the offense of black skin. Slaves had been freed within living memory, but too often, their children, their grandchildren remained captive, because they were denied justice and denied equality, denied opportunity, denied a chance to pursue their dreams.”

Click here for full story…> >

From June 2010 NASW News. © 2010 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.