Here and Here are two excellent profiles of Dorothy Height, Civil Rights activist and feminist. She died this morning at the age of 98--80 of those 98 years dedicated to professional social justice work and advocacy. She was one of the few women allowed at the Men's table when many of the landmark protests and rallies were planned during the 1960's.

She was famous for her hats and dressing well to demonstrate the inherent dignity and worth she knew everyone deserved.

Barack Obama, in a statement earlier this morning, called Height "the godmother of the Civil Rights Movement and a hero to so many Americans." She was also an advocate of dressing to impress — she said, "I came up at a time when young women wore hats, and they wore gloves. Too many people in my generation fought for the right for us to be dressed up and not put down." (Jezebel)

She is also credited as one of the first Civil Rights and Women's Rights activists to engage in intersectional justice work. Or, as the NYT puts it:

"Ms. Height is widely credited as the first person in the modern civil rights era to treat the problems of equality for women and equality for African-Americans as a seamless whole, merging concerns that had historically been largely separate. "

Ms. Height, truly was a remarkable human being--and we need more like her to continue the work for social justice and equity (as well as equality).