Biography Of Dorothy Roosevelt: The Godmother Of The Civil Rights Movement

Did you know that Dorothy was called the “godmother of the civil rights movement” by Barack Obama! Dorothy was an African American activist. She spent her life fighting for civil rights and women's rights. Her dad, James Edward Height, was a contractor and her mom Fannie Borroughs Height, was a nurse. Dorothy moved with her family to Rankin, Pennsylvania, in her youth. There, she went to racially integrated schools. This is where it all started for her. Dorothy was born on March 24,1912 in Richmond,Virginia. In high school Dorothy was a great public speaker and expressed that talent a lot. Her skills as a speaker took her all the way to a national oratory competition. Winning the event, she was awarded a college scholarship. She was accepted into Barnard College in New York, but as the beginning of the school year was about to start the college said they had already met their quota for black students. After Dorothy then applied to New York University, where she earned two degrees: a bachelor's degree in education in 1930 and a master's degree in psychology in 1932.
Dorothy met the founder of the National Council Of Negro Woman:Mary McLeod Bethune. When Mary and the first lady: Eleanor Roosevelt came to visit her facility Dorothy soon after volunteered at the NCNW. Dorothy then became the president of the National Council Of Negro Woman. After that she was very influential in leading these organizations. She then got to work with Martin Luther King jr., A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young. John Lewis and James Farmer. They were most of the time called the Big Six. In 1663 she got to sit close to Martin Luther King jr. when he gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. Dorothy was not requested to talk at this event even though she was an amazing