A Civil Rights Hero’s Life Well-Lived

Today’s news might center around the release of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s budget, but we shouldn’t let the loss of a civil rights hero get lost in the shuffle.

Dr. Dorothy Height, who died early this morning at 98 years of age, fought for civil rights on multiple fronts for most of the last century — and for a healthy part of the young century we now find ourselves in. As recently as two years ago, she was appearing in the media delivering key messages like:

“We need to look at who has the opportunities. We need to look at — Obama himself pointed that to us, that you can’t have a flourishing Wall Street and a destroyed Main Street. He could have also said, I’m working for the middle class, but we still have poverty. And we cannot divide up like that. We cannot say who’s hurting the most. We have to make sure they be dealing with everyone.”

NPR’s Allison Keyes had a beautiful report this morning on Dr. Height. It’s an inspiring listen.

There are many lessons to be drawn from Dr. Height’s life. That one person committed to the right principles can make a difference. That our elders who came before us can continue to teach us.

Most of all, it reminds me that the civil rights struggles we continue to fight for — for fair access to education, for equal economic opportunity — don’t have their roots in the faraway past. They’re based on things that happened to our parents, and to our grandparents, and that historical events impact the realities of our lives today.

Thankfully, people like Dr. Height devoted their time on this Earth to improving life for the rest of us. She has many legacies, but one should be inspiring many others to do the same.