Dorothy Height was born in Richmond, Virginia on March 24, 1912 and died on April 20, 2010 at the age of 98 (Williams, 2013). The racism she witnessed and personally endured as a child encouraged her to become who she became (Height, 2003). She said, “I am the product of many people whose lives have touched mine, from the famous, distinguished, and powerful to the little-known and poor” (Height, 2003, p. 467). Dorothy Height was an advocate for women's rights and civil rights because she heard many cases of African American women being raped, abused, and raped in prison and in public (McGuire, 2010). Height had a dual purpose of ending racism and sexism, which led her to earn 20 honorary degrees and over 50 awards during her life (Crewe, 2013). Dorothy Height was not in the public eye during the civil rights movement, but she became known later. Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond, Virginia on March 24, 1912 and raised in Pennsylvania. Dorothy's mother did not attend many of her school events, which only motivated her to excel in school (White, 1999). She won a $1,000 scholarship from Daughter Elk for her participation in the National Oratory Contest on the U.S. Constitution and was valedictorian of her high school class. Dorothy wanted to go to Barnard in New York but they rejected her because they had already admitted their quota of black students, which happened to be two. She ended up going to New York University where she joined a sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, and became the head of the sorority. She went on to earn two degrees, a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in psychology in six years (White, 1999). After college, she began her job as a social worker which she received...... middle of paper ......ald Regan honored Dorothy with the Citizens Medal Award for distinguished service. The same year, she received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Medal of Freedom from the Roosevelt Institute. President Bill Clinton presented Height with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and she was inducted into the "National Women's Hall of Fame." President George W. Bush presented her with the Congressional Gold Medal on her 92nd birthday (National Council of Black Women, 2013). In 1994, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of all her efforts on behalf of the movement (Height, 2003). With all these accolades, Dorothy Height is the last activist icon of the civil rights movement and has begun to become a memory of the civil rights movement. The current Obama called Dorothy "the godmother of the civil rights movement and a hero to so many Americans" (Stewart)., 2010).