Mourning the Passing of Dr. Dorothy Height

"The nation has lost a great leader — a true visionary whose voice for women’s and civil rights will never be forgotten. Her courage, grace and wisdom guided millions during her extraordinary life and her spirit will continue to live on in the women whom she inspired across the country." -Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

The staff at Planned Parenthood of Illinois would like to express our sadness at the loss of esteemed civil rights advocate, Dr. Dorothy Height.

Dr. Height started her career as a civil rights activist in the early 1930s, while she was in her 20s. During her life, she became one of the leading advocates for equal rights for both African Americans and women. Dr. Height advised American leaders like First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whom she encouraged to desegregate schools, and President Lyndon B. Johnson, whom she urged to appoint African American women to governmental roles. As the president of the National Council of Negro Women, a position she held for 40 years, she was able to blaze a new path for immeasurable women of all colors.

"No one will do for you what you need to do for yourself. We cannot afford to be separate... We have to see that all of us are in the same boat" - Dorothy Height

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