[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1821 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.1821
One Hundred Eighth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the seventh day of January, two thousand and three
An Act
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height in recognition
of her many contributions to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
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.
(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.
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.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.