Dorothy Height Accomplishments

Dorothy Height

Dorothy Height was born on March 24, 1912, in Richmond, Virginia. She grew up with a mother (Fannie Burroughs Height), a father (James Edward Height), and a sister (Anthanette Aldridge). Her father was a building contractor while her mother was a nurse both working to support the family. When Dorothy was 5 years old she moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania.

She went to Rankin High School located in Pennsylvania. During high school, Height started becoming more socially and politically active by showing her talents as a public speaker. Height’s speaking skills helped her out tremendously and brought her to a national oratory competition. After she won the competition she was awarded a scholarship to college provided by the elks.

Height was accepted into Barnard College in New York but as the start of the school year approached they changed their mind about her acceptance. She was told that they had already met their quota for black students since they

One of her first major stepping stones would be directing the integration at the YWCA in 1946. Also, she initiated its Center for Racial Justice in 1965 which she ran until 1977. While she was working for the Center for Racial Justice she was also the president of the National Council of Negro Women. Due to all of these commitments and volunteer opportunities Height was able to become one of the leading figures during the Civil Rights Movement. Since she was intertwined with all of these movements she was able to work with people such as Martin Luther King Jr., A Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, John Lewis, and James Farmer. All of these people including Dorothy Height inspired many other African American citizens to start standing up for what they believed in. When these figures came together to protest or give a speech they would be known as the “Big Six” as they were the ones who brought civil rights to everyone’s