[108th Congress Public Law 162]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[DOCID: f:publ162.108]
[[Page 117 STAT. 2017]]
Public Law 108-162
108th Congress
An Act
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height in recognition
of her many contributions to the Nation. <<NOTE: Dec. 6, 2003 - [H.R.
1821]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: 31 USC 5111
note.>>
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was born March 24, 1912, to
James Edward Height and Fannie (Borroughs) Height in Richmond,
Virginia, and raised in Rankin, Pennsylvania.
(2) Dr. Height is recognized as one of the preeminent social
and civil rights activists of her time, particularly in the
struggle for equality, social justice, and human rights for all
peoples.
(3) Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 1930s, she
soon gained prominence through her tireless efforts to promote
interracial schooling, to register and educate voters, and to
increase the visibility and status of women in our society.
(4) She has labored to provide hope for inner-city children
and their families, and she can claim responsibility for many of
the advances made by women and African-Americans over the course
of this century.
(5) Her public career spans over 65 years.
(6) Dr. Height was a valued consultant on human and civil
rights issues to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and she encouraged
President Eisenhower to desegregate the Nation's schools and
President Johnson to appoint African-American women to sub-
Cabinet posts.
(7) Dr. Height has been President of the National Council of
Negro Women (NCNW) since 1957, a position to which she was
appointed upon the retirement of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, one of
the most influential African-American women in United States
history.
(8) The National Council of Negro Women is currently the
umbrella organization for 250 local groups and 38 national
groups engaged in economic development and women's issues.
(9) Under Dr. Height's leadership, the National Council of
Negro Women implemented a number of new and innovative programs
and initiatives, including the following:
(A) Operation Woman Power, a project to expand
business ownership by women and to provide funds for
vocational training.
(B) Leadership training for African-American women
in the rural South.
[[Page 117 STAT. 2018]]
(C) The Black Family Reunion, a nationwide annual
gathering to encourage, renew and celebrate the concept
of not only the Black family but all families.
(D) The Women's Center for Education and Career
Advancement to empower minority women in nontraditional
careers.
(E) The Bethune Museum and Archives, a museum
devoted to African-American women's history.
(10) Dr. Height has been at the forefront of AIDS education,
both nationally and internationally; under her direction, the
National Council of Negro Women established offices in West
Africa and South Africa and worked to improve the conditions of
women in the developing world.
(11) Dr. Height has been central in the success of 2 other
influential women's organizations, as follows:
(A) As president and executive board member of Delta
Sigma Theta, Dr. Height left the sorority more efficient
and globally focused with a centralized headquarters.
(B) Her work with the Young Women's Christian
Association (YWCA) led to its integration and more
active participation in the civil rights movement.
(12) As a member of the ``Big Six'' civil rights leaders
with Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King,
Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, Dr. Height was the only
female at the table when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and others made plans for the civil rights movement.
(13) Dr. Height is the recipient of many awards and
accolades for her efforts on behalf of women's rights, including
the following:
(A) The Spingarn Award, the NAACP's highest honor
for civil rights contributions.
(B) The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by
President Clinton.
(C) The John F. Kennedy Memorial Award from the
National Council of Jewish Women.
(D) The Ministerial Interfaith Association Award for
her contributions to interfaith, interracial, and
ecumenical movements for over 30 years.
(E) The Lovejoy Award, the highest recognition by
the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks of the World for outstanding contributions to
human relations.
(F) The Ladies Home Journal Woman of the Year Award
in recognition for her work for human rights.
(G) The William L. Dawson Award presented by the
Congressional Black Caucus for decades of public service
to people of color and particularly women.
(H) The Citizens Medal Award for distinguished
service presented by President Reagan.
(I) The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal
awarded by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.
(14) Dr. Dorothy Height has established a lasting legacy of
public service that has been an invaluable contribution to the
progress of this Nation.
[[Page 117 STAT. 2019]]
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the
Congress, to Dr. Dorothy Irene Height a gold medal of appropriate design
in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal
with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by
the Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary
may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under
section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals,
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead
expenses.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of
chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby authorized to
be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund an
amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized
under section 2.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
Approved December 6, 2003.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1821:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 149 (2003):
Oct. 15, considered and passed House.
Nov. 21, considered and passed Senate.
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