Civil rights icon Dr. Dorothy Irene Height will be funeralized today at 10 a.m. ET.
By Presidential Proclamation, flags will be flown at half-staff at the White House and other public buildings:
As a mark of respect for the memory of Dorothy Height, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that, on the day of her interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on such day. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
The National Cathedral is located about five miles from the headquarters of Dr. Height’s beloved National Council of Negro Women.
I spent Election Day 2008 at NCNW, where the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation monitored voter turnout and problems at the polls.
Dr. Height joined us to watch the election returns. When the election was called for Barack Obama, she shared her thoughts:
As to the meaning of a President Obama:Many people lost their lives working to get the vote. For a while we received the vote but we weren’t using the vote. We learned how to use that vote and you see the results tonight.
In many instances we are the swing vote. Just because we are a minority doesn’t mean that we can’t make a difference. We all should be proud that we have a man like Barack Obama. He prepared himself and he carried himself throughout this with dignity and strength. Whether they voted for him or not, they have to acknowledge that he has been presidential all the way.
It means that what I’ve worked for has not been in vain. I see in Barack Obama a sense of the future and realize the strength that’s in our people. A young man who’s so devoted, so sincere, and so able to do what he wants to do.
The jockeying has begun to claim the civil rights mantle, but no one can fill her Ferragamo pumps. When the good Lord made Dr. Height, he broke the mold.
Let’s count our blessings that we had her for 98 years. Dr. Height was a drum major for justice who has earned her place in American history and in our hearts.
