For my kids’ school time we’re researching a different figure in American history, since black history is American history, each day! Today, we learned about Dr. Dorothy Heights, an amazing and tireless worker for both civil rights, and women’s rights!
What really stood out to me was that I hadn’t heard of her before! I thought I at least knew of all of the prominent figures in the American Civil Right movement! We definitely need to do a better job of teaching this era of American history.
Another thing that stood out was that, although the fight for women’s rights has always run alongside the fight for civil rights for all, it still took a back seat to civil rights for men. And Dr. Heights made that clear when talking about the fact that she and other female civil rights leaders had to fight just to get a seat on the stage at the legendary March on Washington! And they were denied the right to speak at the event!
Yet, she and other female leaders continued to support the civil rights movement from inside. It just shows how committed they were, and how much vision they had. If Dr. Heights had taken her skills and gone home, we may not be where we are today in the fight for equality!
Thank you, Dr. Dorothy Heights!
The Productive Mommy 