HR1211 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1211 LRB096 22239 GRL 41073 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Dorothy Irene Height, who passed away on April 20, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Height was born in Richmond, Virginia, and reared in Rankin, Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Height was a key figure throughout the civil rights movement; her career as a civil rights advocate began in 1930, when she co-led protests against lynching in Times Square; in 1933, she became a leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America in the New Deal era; she served on the National Board of the YWCA in the mid-1940s and spearheaded the organization's racial justice initiatives; from 1947 to 1956, she served as the 10th national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and helped to expand the organization's social activism in the United States and abroad; she pursued studies at New York University, where she earned her master's degree in social work; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Height was the female team leader among the six leaders of the civil rights movement which included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; At the 1963 March on Washington, she was on the platform when King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech after convincing the leadership to allow the young preacher to speak last and for longer than 5 minutes; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Height's name is synonymous with the National Council of Negro Women, an organization she headed from 1957, when she was elected the organization's 4th national president, until 1998, when she became Chair of the Board and President Emerita, serving in those capacities until her passing; during the civil rights era, she led the NCNW to deal with unmet needs of women and their families by combating hunger and establishing decent housing and home ownership programs through the federal government for low-income families; and

WHEREAS, For her years of service to the nation, which stretched back to her work with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Dorothy Height was awarded America's two highest civilian awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992 by President Bill Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004 through an act of Congress; she also received 36 honorary degrees and the NAACP's Spingarn Medal; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Height is survived by her sister, Athanette Aldridge; her nephews, Phillip Aldridge, Bernard Randolph (Billie Jean), and Daniel Aldridge, Jr. (Dorothy); her nieces, Jean Randolph Linzey (Camerson Sr.) and Leuetta Henderson; her many great and great-great nieces and nephews; her other relatives and friends, including her devoted friend/daughter, the Honorable Alexis Herman Franklin; her beloved National Council of Negro Women family; and her devoted caregiver of 10 years, Mary Brown; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Dorothy Irene Height and honor her for her many contributions to our nation and the civil rights movement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dorothy Height as an expression of our sympathy.