Dorothy Height, Civil Rights and Equal Pay Day

April 20, 2010

Dr. Dorothy Height

Civil rights icon Dr. Dorothy Height passed away this morning at the age of 98. Height, a civil rights icon and a champion for women's rights, served as president of the National Council for Negro Women for 40 years and fought for school desegregation, voting rights and equality in the workplace.

Height's death comes on Equal Pay Day, the day which marks how long women must work into 2010 to earn the same pay as men earned in 2009. Women still earn, on average, 77¢ for every dollar earned by men. Women of color fare even worse — African American women earn 68¢ for every dollar men do, and Hispanic women make only 58¢.

Dr. Height was there when Pres. John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, and returned to the White House for the 35th anniversary of that legislation when Pres. Bill Clinton called for additional laws to ensure equal pay for women. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first piece of legislation signed by Pres. Barack Obama, added legal protections for those discriminated against in the workplace. Still, additional legislation such as the Paycheck Fairness Act is needed to eliminate this inconsistency once and for all.

AFL-CIO Exec. Vice President Arlene Holt Baker issued this statement on Dr. Dorothy Height's passing:

Today the nation lost a great leader in Dr. Dorothy Height. Dr. Height’s contributions to advancing freedom and equality in this country have left an indelible mark on our history and our future. She was a champion of civil rights, human rights, women’s rights and workers’ rights. She was on the battlefield with Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Hillary Clinton and Pres. Obama, just to name a few. She remains a strong hero to so many, but especially for African American women, young and old. She embodied struggle, strength, determination, love and elegance. Dr. Height will be sorely missed but she leaves a legacy that earned its way into our history books and our hearts.

MSNBC.com has posted this 2004 NBC News story on Dr. Height: