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.

Want Joy and Peace In Your Life and World for Christmas; New Year? Talk to the God of Joy and Peace!

Since the day after Thanksgiving, I have been hearing Christmas songs like O Holy Night, O Little Star of Bethlehem, O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World, Hallelujah Chorus, and Little Drummer Boy, so many times, I hear them in my sleep.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love these songs.  I grew up on them.  I especially love the way different generations sing and perform them.  But the more I hear them, the more I am haunted by a recurring question.  Why does there seem to be so little joy and peace in the world today with so many people singing "joy to the world and peace to all people"? 

Just look around.  Malls are full of folks with nearly maxed out credit cards but pressed to buy even more.  Folks are going home for the holidays often with little to say after “how have you been?”, “how’s the weather back home?”, and “how was your travel?”  Wars in both Iraq (56,000 still there) and Afghanistan (nearly 100,000 troops), cost an estimated, $7 billion a month.  Home grown and international terrorists scheme daily attacks on America.  North and South Korea stare one another down at their common borders, playing “war games” that impact nations like ours.  Added to all that . . .the New Year is  just days away and the challenges of gang violence, sex trafficking, Haiti relief, immigration, home foreclosures, jobs shifting overseas, and slow American economic recovery are begging for leaders with courage, integrity, and commitment to the poor and underserved to show up.

What does all this mean to you?  Do you feel a spirit of joy and peace about your future? Your job?  Your home?  Your life?  Or. . .are you feeling that there’s something more you can do to make the world where you live and work just a bit more joyful and peaceful? 

Let me suggest two things that you and I can do right now to make joy and peace a reality in 2011.  Remember that happiness is based on circumstances that come and go, but joy is rooted in a sense of spiritual and emotional well-being whether things are good or bad in your life.  Peace is based on harmony within and among people.  Often, conflict and hostility come from self-centeredness and obsession with self, e.g. “me first” and “look out for number one”.   

First, to bring joy and peace into your world, find a cause bigger than yourself that helps someone less fortunate than you where you can make a real difference.  Big or small. . .it does not really matter.  How does that sound to you for starters?  

Second, get to know the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, who came into the world to forgive sins, save souls, and bring peace among people.  Spend time in His love letter to you . . .God's Holy Word (the Bible).  Talk to him like you would a close friend about the kind of leaders we need. . .like the ones you see on television or the Internet whose decisions impact your world and mine.  St. Paul, the writer of two-thirds of the New Testament, as an older man, told a young man named Timothy, who he was mentoring, how to bring joy and peace into the world.  He said, first of all, before you do anything else, pray for everyone, including those you do not like, and especially for rulers and those in authority that we might live peaceful lives. 

In other words, he was saying that there is a direct relationship between the kind of planet we live in and how often we talk to God about leaders. Their decisions can bring joy or conflict; peace or pain; poverty or prosperity to us.  To put it another way, we have the kind of leaders we pray for!  Why?  Because prayer does not change things. . .prayer changes people. . .and people change things!

Believe it or not, you and I have much power to change our world, our cities, our neighborhoods, our schools, our families, and even our own lives, through our prayers.  Don't get me wrong.  Praying does not mean we stop voting, writing letters to elected and appointed leaders, and to the newspaper editors; Blog, Tweet, testify and organize to change our world. We must do it all. So, let’s use both the power of prayer and the power to organize for change, now, and in the New Year,  to create the joy and peace we want, personally, for those around us, and for our global community.  Have a blessed Christmas and a fantastic New Year using the incredible power you possess to talk to God. He loves hearing your voice!