Her passion for volunteerism and leadership did not fall solely on the YWCA and the NCNW. She was also a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and served from 1947 until1956 as its national president. Some of her more notable accomplishments include:
– The establishment of the Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement in New York City in 1970
– The dedication of the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park, Washington D.C. in 1974. The statue was the first for a woman on public land in the nation’s capital
– Participation in the 1975 Tribunal at the International Women’s Year Conference of the United Nations in Mexico City, which led to a grant awarded to the NCNW from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
– The establishment of the Bethune Council House, the former home of Mary McLeod Bethune, as a national historic site through the National Park Service. The BCH is the first institution devoted to black women’s history and houses the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women.
Among her numerous other achievements, Height was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, is a recipient of the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and on her 92nd birthday she accepted the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian and most distinguished award presented by the U.S. Congress.
After receiving the 2008 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit‘s Legacy Award, Height had this to say about her circle of women: “It is a great reminder to me that I have had the benefit of so many women who showed their power, who understood that power was neither bad nor good; it’s how you use it.â€
Click here to view Women of Power Legacy Award Dorothy Height Tribute video.