Norton's Bill Renaming Post Office for Dr. Dorothy Height Expected to Be Signed by the President

Norton's Bill Renaming Post Office for Dr. Dorothy Height Expected to Be Signed by the President

December 3, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) bill to rename the historic U.S. Post Office at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE in honor of the "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement," Dr. Dorothy I. Height, passed the Senate last night and is on its way to the President. The longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women, who died earlier this year, has been recognized with virtually every significant national honor. "This bill, marking it the first time a federal building in the nation's capital has been named for an African American woman, is a cause for celebration," said Norton. "Dorothy Height was an icon for social justice who lived here, and the Congress has recognized that she deserves a visible place of honor and distinction in the nation's capital. Renaming the post office next to Union Station will remind D.C. and the nation alike of the achievements of one of America's great women."

Norton made passage of the bill this session a priority since the bill was introduced only in September. She was able to get the House to pass the bill almost immediately under suspension of the rules in September.