Norton to Unveil Renaming of D.C.'s Historic Post Office for Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Tuesday
Norton to Unveil Renaming of D.C.'s Historic Post Office for Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Tuesday
February 18, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will celebrate Black History Month on Tuesday, February 22, at 3:00 p.m. at a press conference and renaming ceremony of the historic U.S. Post Office located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE in honor of the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height. Veteran television journalist Andrea Rhone will emcee the ceremony commemorating the passage and signing of Norton's bill to rename the post office after Dr. Height, which will become the first federal building in the nation's capital to bear the name of an African American woman. Mayor Vincent Gray, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Wade Henderson, National Council of Negro Women Vice Chair Dr. Thelma Daley, and Washington Postmaster Gerald Roane will deliver brief remarks.
"Dr. Height was a national icon, but she often told me how pleased she was to become a resident of the District of Columbia, and we are pleased to have our landmark post office building named in her honor," said Norton. "The renaming of our historic post office next to Union Station will remind not only District residents, but also the nation of the significant achievements of one of America's great women."
Throughout her life Dr. Height championed many efforts for women's equality and racial justice, from equal pay and voting rights for women to the integration of our nation's governmental institutions. Known as the "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement," Height has been recognized with every significant national honor, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the NAACP Spingarn Medal. Dr. Height served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years, and served as national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for eleven years.