News Release

Statement By Secretary Kathleen Sebelius On The Passing Of Dr. Dorothy Height

            I join the nation in mourning the death of Dorothy Height, a champion of the Civil Rights movement and a role model for millions of women in my generation.  For more than 70 years, Dr. Height was a relentless and persuasive advocate for what she called “prying open the gates of freedom.”  Through her words and actions, and, perhaps most importantly, through her example, she helped bring us closer to the day when the basic building blocks of opportunity – a strong education, good health care, and voice in the political process – are available to every American. 

            Like so many other Americans, I was personally inspired by Dr. Height, particularly her decades of advocacy on behalf of American women and girls.  That's why I was so grateful that she lived to see the passage of a health reform bill that ended health insurance discrimination against women and struck a historic blow against health disparities, which Dr. Height’s collaborator Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once called the most “shocking and inhumane” form of injustice.  Dr. Height was a one-of-a-kind American heroine, and we will miss her greatly.

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Last revised: January 03, 2011