April 29, 2010 – Thursday morning the Washington National Cathedral will be filled with mourners to say their final farewell to civil rights leader Dorothy Height.  Height,  longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women, died last week at the age of 98 from natural causes.

The funeral service will be open to the public and lines are expected to form early.  On Tuesday the White House confirmed President Barack Obama would be attending the funeral and will also deliver the eulogy. 

The president’s attendance brings increased security and required ticketing for folks to be in reserved seating.   I’m fortunate enough to have one of those seats. The Washington National Cathedral is no stranger to making a final farewell an honorable and cherished celebration, and this will be no exception.

Throughout the country in response to a proclamation from the president honoring Height, several states and city governments directed that flags be lowered to half-staff Thursday in memory of the civil rights trailblazer.

The funeral will begin at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live on BET.com; Height’s burial will take place following the service at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood.

Dorothy Height and Pamela Gentry in the spring of 2009.

April 21, 2010

– On Tuesday Black American lost an icon when Dorothy Height, civil rights leader, activist, and educator died at 98 years-old.   Height was born in 1912, when William Taft was president, the U.S. population was 95 million and a postage stamp cost two cents.

Height participated and witnessed American history and built a legacy for future generations.

It’s hard to imagine the political landscape of the early 20th century as compared to present day.  Taft was faced with a tough election in 1912 facing two opponents; unemployment was 4.6 percent and the U.S. population was just over 95 million.

Just imagine, Height was 11 years old when Henry Ford decided to organize the Ford Motor Company in 1923.  In her lifetime she witnessed more than 55 African Americans elected to Congress, the onslaught of the online world and the election of the first African-American president.

What a life!

Often we forget to look back and reflect on how far African Americans have traveled on their journey in American history.  But that’s not the case with Height.  She has always managed to keep tabs and always with a keen eye focused on how to  build on every accomplishment.   

Height started her career as a caseworker with the New York City Welfare Department.  She also began a career as a civil rights activist when she joined the National Council of Negro Women.

Throughout her life she stood steadfast for equal rights for both African Americans and women, and in 1944 she joined the national staff of the YWCA.   She served as the national president for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated from 1946- 1957.  But her longest and most indelible contribution was to the National Council of Negro Women, where she served as president for 40 years.

Height was a trailblazer, and like others born in her generation, she was on a mission to make a difference. 

Langston Hughes, the famous African-American poet laureate born in 1902 wrote his works in “Negro dialect” with a passion that expressed the life and strife of the American Negro at that time.

“I have the right to portray any side of Negro life I wish to,” Hughes once said.  What Hughes expressed with pen and pad, composer and pianist Scott Joplin was able to put to music. 

Joplin, a contemporary of Height will always be remembered for his classic piano ragtime song, “The Entertainer.”  The quick-rhythm song became famous in 1973 when it was revived for the Oscar-winning film, “The Sting.”

Height’s contributions to the fabric of American history will leave an enduring imprint just like the words penned by Langston and the music composed by Joplin.  She’ll be missed but never forgotten.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst
March 27, 2010 – Rumors are unfounded that civil rights activist and the celebrated leader of the National Council of Negro Women has died.  Dorothy Height, often referred to as the “mother of civil rights,” remains in an ICU at Washington’s Howard University Hospital.

A spokesperson for the NCNW told me Saturday evening  she is hospitalized, but Height, who turned 98 years old on Wednesday, is reported to be resting and in stable condition.  Howard University Hospital spokesman Ron Harris told reporters she is “resting well.”

Rumors circulated on the internet on Saturday that Height had died. It created a flurry of online buzz and prompted a statement from Alexis Herman, a close friend and the former Secretary of Labor.  “We are grateful for the professional care of her doctors. We especially thank everyone for your thoughts, prayers and support during this challenging time.”

Height, who is chair and president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women, has been considered a female trailblazer in the civil rights movement. She worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Rev. Ralph Abernathy and A. Phillip Randolph during the 1960s.