For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 24, 2004
President Commends Civil Rights Hero
Remarks by the President at the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honoring Dr. Dorothy Height
Capitol Rotunda
2:02 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you, very much.
Mr. Speaker, and Leader Frist, distinguished members of Congress, I
want to thank the authors of the bill that bestowed this high honor:
Senator Clinton and Senator Levin and Congresswoman Watson. Thank you
all for being here to honor such a fine American.
Since the American Revolution, Congress has awarded Gold Medals to
the heroes of our country. And today, we recognize a citizen who has
helped to extend the promise of our founding to millions. We recognize
a hero.
I'm so pleased to join with the Congress in honoring this good and
gracious woman and the great life she has lived. And what a life it's
been. If you know -- in the presence of Dorothy Height, you kind of --
she's such a calming influence. You realize you're in the presence of
grace. But you've got to understand what she's done to realize that
behind the grace, there's a will of steel -- (laughter) -- and absolute
determination. (Applause.)
She's been a leader and a witness to a lot of our great history.
We've heard a lot of talk about the "Big Six." As Leader Pelosi said
-- I think it was Leader Pelosi -- "I sure would have liked to have
been in the room. I would have liked to have seen Dorothy Height
interface with some of the giants of the civil rights movement." The
truth of the matter is, she was the giant of the civil rights
movement. They were interfacing with her. (Laughter and applause.)
She was there when they planned the march. She was a few steps
away from Dr. King's great speech at the Lincoln Memorial. She helped
integrate the YWCA. She was in the South during the '60s setting up
freedom schools and voter registration drives. She was in Mississippi
bringing white and black women together. She was in Birmingham in 1963
comforting the mothers of that city. Condi Rice was there at the
time. She's told me the story about what it was like. It would have
taken a presence like Dorothy Height to instill hope and calm and
confidence during that very troubled time. She helped create the Black
Family Reunion. She's done a lot.
She's a woman of enormous accomplishment. She's a friend of First
Ladies like Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's known
every President since Dwight David Eisenhower. She's told every
President what she thinks since Dwight David Eisenhower. (Applause.)
I find it really interesting that Dorothy Height has always
stressed the importance of institutions closest to us: our families,
our churches, and our neighborhoods. She understands that those
institutions are important in shaping the character of an individual,
and therefore, the character of the nation.
In her recently published memoir, Dr. Height wrote, "It is in the
neighborhood and communities where the world begins. That is where
children grow and families are developed, where people exercise their
power to change their lives." Incredibly wise words from a strong
leader.
Few Americans have done more than Dorothy Height to help their
fellow citizens discover and exercise their own life-changing power.
Dorothy has always remembered what her mother told her when she was a
girl of eight in 1920. She recalls, "My mother, always so gentle and
so firm, put her arms around me. She said, 'You're a nice girl,
Dorothy. You're a smart girl. And there are many things you can
do.'" Mom was right. There was a lot of things she could do, and she
did them, and America is a better place for it. (Applause.)
We're proud of you, Dorothy. We're honored to be in your
presence. You're about to receive a Gold Medal, but perhaps the best
medal we can give as a society is to continue to work for equality and
justice for all. It's now my honor to join Speaker Hastert and Senator
Stevens, the Senate -- the President Pro Tem of the Senate, in
presenting this high award, this important award, to a great American.
May God bless you. (Applause.)
END 2:08 P.M. EST
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