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Remembering Dorothy Height

Today we lay to rest one of the great leaders of modern times, Dr. Dorothy Height.  This beloved woman will always be remembered as one of the foremost pioneers of the civil rights movement - particularly with regard to her work with women of color. In an era where women, especially African-American women, were often relegated to the lowest possible positions in society, Dorothy Height dedicated her life to one purpose: that equality for women and equality for African-Americans are issues that go hand in hand.


Dr. Height's distinguished career spanned over 80 years.  In 1937 she joined the National Council of Negro Women, later becoming president of this organization and one of its most influential leaders.  She led the effort to desegregate the YWCA and founded its Center for Racial Justice.  She was a trusted adviser on civil rights to presidents going back as far as Franklin Roosevelt.  In the 60's, she brought together black and white women, from the north and the south, for productive social dialogue through her innovative and controversial  "Wednesdays in Mississippi" program.  She was awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, the two highest civilian awards our nation bestows.  She stood next to Dr. Martin Luther King on the day he had a dream.  And she sat in her wheelchair, at age 97, along side Barack Obama as he was inaugurated as the first black President of the United States.

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Height a few years ago for my book, How Strong Woman Pray.  I was not surprised to find that she was a woman of strong faith, and prayer was a daily part of her life.  When I asked her about how she was able to persevere all the challenges she had to face over the years, she merely said, "I always feel the hand of God.  It's prayer that helps you through."

We met again at the White House when I was invited there to participate in the celebration of Black History month two years ago.  Resplendent in her trademark colorful hat, she was so gracious and kind, never having lost that wonderful charm that has captivated and motivated so many people to follow her all these years.  It was especially poignant for me to be able to introduce my daughter, then 13 years old, to this heroine of our culture.  When in the presence of someone like Dorothy Height, you can't help but be awed by the courage and sacrifice it took for her to achieve all that she did.  We owe her our respect, our honor, and our sincere gratitude. I am proud to be able to stand on the shoulders of her strength, and I am determined to do my part to keep her vision alive.

April 2010 | Blog Comments
Categories: Inspiration

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Gold in Hockey & 4 Alpine Medals!

Just a quick note to let you know that we won the GOLD in hockey!!! Plus we won four alpine medals yesterday!
Get all the details at www.usparalympics.org  ...gotta run.

March 2010 | Blog Comments
Categories: Inspiration

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US Gold in Vancouver!

Team USA won its first Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games today as mono-ski sensation Alana Nichols of Farmington, NM, took home the Gold in the Giant Slalom and, by the way, rocketed into the history books as the first woman US Paralympian to win Gold medals in BOTH the winter and summer Paralympic Games (Alana was a member of the Gold winning Wheelchair Basketball team in Beijing)! Also very exciting is the fact that when Alana looks over to the Silver podium, she'll see her teammate, Park City's own Stephani Victor, collecting her medal for the second place victory! That's both Gold AND Silver medals for Team USA in the Women's Sitting GS! Way to go, girls! In other news, the US Curling Team lost to Sweden, breaking it's stellar winning streak, but still remains tied (with Korea) for second place with 4 wins and 2 losses. The Canadian curlers are in the lead, winning 5 and losing only 1, so our gang is still well within a shot at the Gold as the competition continues. At the Thunderbird Arena, the US Sledge Hockey team remained undefeated by beating Japan 6-0 and advancing to the semi-finals. This crushing victory is certainly fanning the flames of speculation that there may be yet another US-Canada showdown for Hockey Gold in Vancouver! I wonder what President Obama will bet Prime Minister Harper over this one!   If you’d like to track the day-to-day results, the website is: http://www.vancouver2010.com/paralympic-games/schedule---results/ . GO USA!!!

March 2010 | Blog Comments

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We Won Our First Medal!

Andy Soule has taken home our first Team USA medal by winning the Bronze in the Biathlon!!! We had the good fortune to see Andy compete, and help cheer him on to the medal podium. For those of you who don’t know, the Paralympic Biathlon is a grueling event that combines Nordic skiing with target shooting. The athletes complete a course that wends up hills and down, then deposits them onto the shooting gallery where they are tested in their accuracy, followed by another lap around the course, more shooting, etc. It’s spectacular to watch! Different disabilities have different challenges – some sit in chair sleds like Andy, others ski with their legs but can use only one pole, and we even saw a few skiers with no arms at all who lie down and shoot with special guns that they operate with their teeth! Amazing. After the biathlon, we headed to the Alpine downhill event that was, unfortunately, canceled due to the thick fog that never seemed to clear on Whistler Mountain. We caught up with our dear friends Ralph Green and Caitie Sarubbi, and were happy to have some time to share a few laughs during the delay. We’re looking forward to seeing them compete today, as the Alpine events finally get underway at 10AM PDT. (Check my earlier blog entry for how to watch online or on TV) We’re also off to see the US Team take on the Czech Republic in Sledge Hockey, and the Germans in curling. Darcy and I got a curling lesson from one of the team coaches and, believe me, it’s a lot harder than it looks! ---Bonnie St. John

March 2010 | Blog Comments
Categories: Inspiration

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