Dorothy Height

Chair/President Emerita
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

For more than half a century, the leadership of Dorothy Height has advanced the liberation struggle of black women.  In 1957, Ms. Height was appointed as president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW).  She worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, and others, participating in almost every major civil and human rights event in the 1960s.

As president of the NCNW, Ms. Height led a crusade for justice for black women and worked to strengthen the black family.  She developed several national and community-based programs, placing special emphasis on drawing in young people.  Ms. Height also established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women, the first institution devoted to black women’s history.

Ms. Height has received innumerable awards for her achievements, including the Citizens Medal Award from President Ronald Reagan in 1989 and the Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994.  She retired from the NCNW in 1998.