Dr. Dorothy Irene Height: She Walked Among Us As One Who Served

In Celebration of Her 99th Birthday on March 24, 2011

In an age when many leaders desperately seek their 15 minutes of YouTube fame, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, was celebrated by presidents and everyday citizens alike for being the rarest of all humans—a servant leader.

In the spirit of Jesus Christ, in whom she fervently believed, Dr. Height, who died nearly one year ago in at the age of 98, stated in her remarkable memoirs, Open Wide the Freedom Gates, that her singular purpose was a life of service and leadership.  In Open Wide, she tells of being scolded by her mother for laughing at a young boy her age who could not remember the words to his short Easter speech, while she recited her longer speech perfectly.  She received a ‘tough love’ lesson in servant leadership from her mother, whom she said, “helped me to understand how not to show off what I knew, but how to use it so that others might benefit.  She always kept before me my responsibility to other people...”

Jesus spoke of leadership from a different point of view and Dr. Height got the message.  He told his disciples who argued over who would be first in God’s kingdom, telling them “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.”  Of himself, he said, “I came not to be served but to serve.” The message of servant leadership contrasts sharply with the predominant “top-down leadership” of our time.  Jesus’message of serving as a number one priority, then leading with serving others in mind, was not lost on Ms. Height, as many lovingly called her.  It was not lost on her growing up in the coal mining town of Rankin, Pennsylvania when she taught Bible lessons to foreign-born white children at the Rankin Christian Center.   She saw everyone in need, whether immigrant or citizen, as a child of God, and served in that spirit.

Nor was the lesson of being other-centered lost on Dr. Dorothy during the 1963 March on Washington.  As the only woman slated to speak at the male-dominated historic march, she voluntarily gave up her time, so that at a young leader named Martin Luther King, Jr. could have more time to share his now famous “I Have A Dream” speech during prime television time.

For over eight decades, Dr. Height sat through meetings aimed at improving human conditions, listening intently, oft times knitting, always decked out in her signature hats, quietly sharing her wisdom as she felt it appropriate.  Her focus was never on being the only African American or woman in meetings with well-known leaders.  Her life-long commitment was to “Open Wide the Freedom Gates” to ensure that other women servant leaders could also enter.  And, when they entered, the only important topic would be addressing the needs of the underserved, which remained at the center of the dialogue. 

While others sought the limelight, Dr. Height—through wars, struggles on behalf of people of every background against discrimination and degradation—kept her eye on the prize of serving those who had no voice, little hope, and few options in life.  Always immaculately dressed with stunning matching hats, Dr. Height’s spirit of servant leadership was seen in the way that she showed up, whether at a rally, a women’s rights meeting, a congressional hearing, at White House briefing or a community gathering.  She added an air of dignity and ‘somebodyness” to every occasion as if to represent both in style, substance, the left out, locked out, and last to benefit in society, because they mattered so much to her and to the God she served.

Dr. Height will always be remembered for another powerful trait of a servant leader. She practiced civility and respect for the dignity of all others, even those with whom she disagreed. Hers was the kind of civility so desperately needed in an age of name calling and vicious labeling among too many leaders today. For Dr. Height, a dignified, decent, and dedicated servant of Christ, the issue was not about being right and proving the other person wrong. The issue was on doing right for those whom one of the world’s richest nations had treated so wrong…and for so long.  What a treasure our world has been given through the amazing life and remarkable legacy of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, who walked among us as one who served…and we are all the better for it.

Viewing the 2010 Election Through Eyes of Faith: Obstacles or Opportunities?

For many years, following each major election, I connected with the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Civil Rights Icon and Chair Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, to get her perspective on the results.  She had an amazing way of seeing the whole forest when most people could only see the trees. After the candidates I supported lost, I would complain to Dr. Height about how the candidates with compassion for the under-served were defeated and how little we would be able to accomplish for those at the bottom economically. She would look at me and say, in a quiet but absolutely confident voice, “Dr. Skinner, you can always work with whatever is available to do what God has called you to do.” She would then remind me of struggles past where God-fearing trailblazers like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others used whatever was available to help create a better world without the benefit of technology, social networking, and other resources we now enjoy.

Dr. Height, died just six months ago at the age of 98, so following the November election, I called another highly respected Civil Rights Icon and Elder Statesperson, Dr. Otis Moss. Dr. Moss is the former Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the same church that Dr. King pastored before he was assassinated.  In a similar vein as Dr. Height, but in a booming voice that sounded like God speaking, Dr. Moss said, “Dr. Skinner, we have come through many stormy elections and battles in the past. We will come through this election and many more by God’s grace.” 

Remembering the wise words of two amazing sounding boards, I reflected on the election where President Barack Obama and his party were badly beaten; and where those now leading the U.S. Senate vowed to ensure the defeat in 2012 of our nation’s first African American President. I pondered how a pro-life, social justice Christian and Democrat like me could turn the obstacles of the 2010 election into opportunities for the under-served.

The first opportunity I have is to view the election through the eyes of faith in an all powerful God.  I firmly believe that absolutely nothing happens on earth without the knowledge and permission, though not necessarily the endorsement, of Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. God is neither Democrat, Republican, nor Tea Party, and is more concerned about the character, attitude, and behavior modeled by those in the faith community than the election’s outcome.  Over the past two years, since the election of President Obama, many in the faith community became more loyal to party labels and slogans than operating in a spirit of love, mutual respect and civility. The negative, shrill, name-calling and demonizing of opponents in this election was often so offensive and poisonous that it was hard to separate those from the faith community from others who never claimed to be. 

The second opportunity I have is to embrace the love ethic of Jesus to care about every person I encounter, including in the political arena, in the same way that I care about myself. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defined this ethic as agape love or the love that sees enemies as potential friends or colleagues. It is the kind of love that makes it totally unacceptable to demonize those from opposing political parties whose philosophies of government and core values differ from mine. Such a powerful, God kind of love leads me to pray for those who were elected on November 2^nd –  that any stony hearts against the needs of the under-served can be turned into hearts of compassion. At a minimum, it means that my dialogues and engagement with those from other political parties and points of view will be conducted with the utmost civility. 

The third opportunity I have from this election is to become better organized and a more effective messenger, as I join forces with like-minded persons in future elections to advocate for the moral and social justice issues I care about. Some of these issues include justice and economic support for the poor and vulnerable; care for the elderly; protection of all life, both human and the environment; replacement of war with peace; and protection of marriage between a man and woman as I understand God’s word, without violating the fundamental civil and human rights of those with other viewpoints.


Viewed through the eyes of faith, the 2010 election has become for me, not an occasion for fear and anxiety about the future, but an open door to turn what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles into enormous opportunities.