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Has anyone ever told you that you’re a shero?

Born in Richmond Virginia on March 24 at the turn of the 20th century’s first decade, this young girl had no idea that as the millennium approached; she’d have met with Presidents and served as the head of two major public service organizations. It was 1912 and her family later moved to a small Pennsylvania town, yet she somehow found herself as a teenager speaking out against lynching as a member of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America. A severe asthmatic as a child, she was not expected to live beyond the age of 16, she passed away in April of 2010—98 years young.

Her parents, a builder and a nurse, encouraged her to be involved in activities at school such as basketball and oratory, even though she wasn’t always accepted by fellow students because she was “the only one.”  She forged ahead, going on to attend and receive degrees from New York University, then launching into a social service career with the city welfare office then on to the YWCA in 1933. The university that ranked as her number one choice, Barnard College, denied her admission, however decades later bestowed her an honorary degree.  In her first job, the primary work centered around those whose pocketbooks and hue couldn’t’ get them access to better jobs or education. This unassuming lady’s concern for this and other societal issues widened and she soon met influential activists such as the pioneering educator Mary McLeod Bethune which in turn led to a meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt.  She became a sought after counsel during the “New Deal” years on desegregating the armed services in addition to other national platforms.

The graceful style of her leadership got noticed and her reach beyond New York amplified. The country was changing and she readily got on board for this new direction to benefit all citizens. Equality’s multi-faceted fight became hers too. Sometimes she was the only woman at the table with a powerful group of men that planned the strategy for significant social shifts in the United States. When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963, she stood alongside him as a relevant member of this historical team during a time of transition.

She became the Godmother of a movement. Women’s rights champions partnered with her causes, leading to major legislative realities in this country. Throughout her career, which so intricately defined her life, she was known for her responsiveness, firm yet gentle as an ally for social justice.

 As her life unfolded, the steadfastness of her energies became world renowned, to the point where a theatrical production chronicled her contributions to many endeavors. Not to mention she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004 by President George W. Bush.

Dorothy Irene Height was a true “shero.” Her name is synonymous with the National Council of Negro Women, a public and community service group she led from 1957 to 1988, when she became the group's chair and president emerita. From 1947 to 1956, Ms. Height also served as an active member and as the president of Delta Sigma Theta, an international sorority of black women, with a focus on public service as well.

 
This Black History Month of 2012’s theme is Black Women in American Culture and History, of which Ms. Dorothy I. Height’s life exemplifies in a myriad of ways. The duality of who she was by her demographic is enduring.

Deborah L. Parker is a motivational speaker and the author of Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey on amazon.com. She resides in the Metropolitan Washington DC area.