Ms. Dorothy Height

(1912 - )

Dorothy Heights is a giant in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and was the only the only woman in King's inner circle. Like King, she had a dream of equal rights and justice in the social, economic, and political spheres. She began pursing it in the 1930s as a leader of the Young Woman's Christian Association. As a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement, she fostered inter-racial dialogue by organizing "Wednesdays in Mississippi." Her commitment to justice also led her to serve 40 years as president of the National Council of Negro Women. She has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Her autobiography, Open Wide the Freedom Gates, provides a personal window into the turbulent sixties.