President Barack Obama, sitting next to First Lady Michelle Obama, wipes away tears at Dr. Dorothy Height’s funeral on Thursday held at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Height led the National Council for Negro Women for four decades and was present at the key battles for racial equality since the 1930s. She died at age 98 after a lifetime devoted to the fight for equality.
The President eulogized the “Godmother” of the American Civil Rights Movement, citing her humility and fight for the cause: “She never cared about who got the credit. What she cared about was the cause. The cause of justice, the cause of equality, the cause of opportunity, freedom’s cause.”
He also revealed that Dr. Height had visited the Obama White House over 20 times and urged Americans to honor her memory by serving and improving their country.
A video of the President’s remarks is included below.
PRESIDENT OBAMA EULOGIZES DR. HEIGHT
May her soul RIP…
that doesn’t look funny! how obama is the one crying like a female and his wife isn’t! It should be the other way around! with his sexy self! still love him!
I love our president, such heart.
It saddens me that people and I mean myself as well aren’t familiar with these people till their death. And often times it’s within the depths of a newspaper, one tiny little paragraph. I can blame the media but I can only blame myself. Even though -as Obama citied- she didn’t want recognition, she deserves to be known and recognized. Rest in Peace Dr. Height! I am truly grateful for her contributions and why I have the opportunities I have now. And thanks Concrete loop or posting this! This is why I have been reading this blog since High school.
I AM SOOO HONORED TO HAVE GOTTEN TO MEET HER BEFORE SHE PASSED…IT WOULD BE A DREAM COME TRUE TO ALSO MEET MAYA ANGELOU.!
Thanks J, it was a beautiful home going, If only my legacy will be that great or even one tenth of what Dr Height accomplished. She was such a strong and beautiful spirit.
sis89bp, Your ignorance is sad! So its a woman’s role to cry, and show emotion and not a man’s? people can be such idiots. Your mom must be so proud!
R.I.P. Dr. Dorothy. Thanks for your example. You will be missed!
RIP DOROTHY. OBAMA DID A WONDERFUL JOB.
She lived an incredible and courages life, not to mention a long one! 98 years is really a blessing… and i’m sure her soul is resting in peace.
Oh and I just adore our President, his gratitude for everything Dr. Height has done for our people and the country as a whole is really refreshing! he’s beautiful and he wears emotion well!
Thanks for taking the exact words out of my mouth GQ81. Until Sis89BP’s post I had NO idea that only women cry…I also had no idea that crying was a sign of weakness. Now I know that only women are allowed to cry at funerals…and men are to remain tough and keep it all bottled up inside and then leave the folks around them to have to deal with their inability to express themselves…because clearly only women are allowed to cry. Thanks for the clarification.
Side note…it must feel really good for Dr. Height to lay up in heaven and watch her funeral be ulogized by our first African-American President…especially after alllll of her work. She has to be doing the happy dance in Heaven.
R.I.P. Dr. Height; may your soul rest in peace.
@#2, [SMDH].
I love our president; stay strong Obama!
RIP DR. DORTHY I. HEIGHTS
I THINK ITS A BLESSING TO BE ABLE TO SEE SOMEONE THATS DONE SO MUCH TO FIGHT FOR NOT ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN RIGHTS, BUT FOR WOMENS RIGHT AS WELL. FOR SO LONG, AND LIVED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
Awwwwwwwwwwww. Presy don’t cry. I hate to see ppl. cry. Makes me wanna cry too.
I have a feeling Pres. Barack is not just crying about this sad occasion. He has so much pressure on him right now.
Those nasty Reps. are @ work saying No no no to everything, even if its good 4 the good of the country. Why? oh why?!
Ms. Heights is a maternal figure but those tears r also 4 his mother n grandmother who Barack was very close to.
RIP Sister Height. U did us proud! We wont 4get u. We honor u, a great civil rights pioneer. THANK YOU.
@ Sis89BP you are a complete idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow. Black greatness!! We are so great!!! Its funny how people try to just limit us to entertainers but if it wasnt for black leaders and fighters other minorities and women (including white women) wouldnt have the opportunites they have now. I love those who have contributed to me and my other sisters and brothers. May her soul rest in peace. I love my people!!!!
michelle is like ‘bish please stop the comedy already’ im sorry but I couldnt help thinkin that
anyway rip! she is legendary for fightin for humanity thank u and I so want to meet maya, such inspiration!
that let you know what kind of a man my president is.he is in touch.im thinking he saw miss heights as another grandmother. im sure he felt love for her.he lost his maternal grandmother like a yr ago.to show this on a web site is just rude.they were at a funeral and to take a picture is just beyond rude.i would have a fit if some got a picture of me while i was crying at a funeral.thats all i have type.
@2 ignorant…I’m sure his tears are because of her struggle and how she, like King, Jesse Jackson, etc. helped paved the way that would allow him to become the nation’s first African American President. C’mon now get wit’ it.
OUR PRESIDENT IS NOT THE FRIST TIME HE CRYED HE CRYED WHEN HIS GRADMOTHER PASS AWAY HE IS ONLY HURMEN HE CRYED WHEN TED KENNDY PASS AWAY TO. WHATT THE HELL IS MICHEAL STEELE IS DO ING THERE HE DONT BELONG THERE AT ALL CANT STILL THAT MEN AT ALLLLLLLL.
Yall are being too hard on sis89bp. Like yall never made an ignorant comment. Nice to know we hav psychics on the blog as well who knows exactly what was goin on in his head. I love Barack Obama!!!
Confessions you can’t spell and need to take a grammar class. But I understand where your coming from. I don’t think its really cool to post photos when someone is at a funeral. President or not. People are mourning and your snapping photos, really?
Yes, rest in peace Dr.Height….it did scare me for a minute when i saw Obama crying, because i hadn’t read the title yet, i was like “what did they do to him NOW?!” but i can definitly understand his emotion, men cry women cry, there is NOTHING wrong with that especially under these circumstances, now if he was crying because he dropped his icecream cone or something then yea i could understand, but he’s at a funeral for an honorable women who did so much for so many people
Thank you Dr. Heights, in may your soul rest in peace. Great job Mr President
RIP DR. Heights I tried looking for some of info about where the repast was going to be yesterday but couldnt find it .
Also I think people forget that that Pres.Obama was a civil rights attorney before going into politics and Dr. Heights was one of his mentors . This is someone he knew very well.
That brother is the real deal. I love him like family!
THAT WAS MOVING FOR ME ALSO ,YOUNG BLACK PPL NEED TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BLACKS EVERY WHERE , NOT JUST AMERICA . YOUNG AND OLDER ( blacks ) ARE SO LOST ABOUT THESE THING’S .
LET’S ALL MAKE A CHANGE .
I love moments like this because it forces me to reflect and meditate. I love being African American, we are such a great people!
dag! I feel like Rihanna on this joint! i didn’t mean to offend anybody! And I love the African American that i am. and i am happy about how far we have become since Dr. Heights time. I was just saying that it seems a little weak for him to be boo hooing like that. the way i grew up men suppose to be warriors and soldiers and crying makes you look weak. So to me it looked a little weak. And for someone who is running this nation crying photos don’t look too pleasing! The Republicans are going to take stuff like that and run with it and make him look like he is to sensitive to run a powerful country! That was all i was sayin! RIP
LOLOLOL!!!! @KE KE ROTFL!!!!! RIP DR HEIGHT!
The fact that Pres.Obama cried, speaks volumes about him as a man. He’s human, and he’s a very emotional and sensitive man. You can tell by the way he interacts with First Lady Michelle, and his daughters that this is a man with alot of compassion and wears his heart on his sleeves. No offense but that makes Pres. Obama very sexy. That he isn’t trapped into stereotypical masculinity , that he can’t express himself. The man felt like crying, so he cried. For me, viewing pictures of Pres. Obama makes me love him more. This is why people gravitate towards the President, because he can feel. His mother , and grandparents did a beautiful job in creating such a wonderful man. I, truly believe your life experiences and the elders in your life shape your adulthood, and that is why he is able to express himself. Reading about his mother, you will find out and understand why Pres. Obama is able to express love.
It’s so easy to love Pres. Obama. Now, I don’t have any attraction for black men on a deep level, because most come across shallow and over compensate their masculitnity through “roughneck ” demeanor, but if they act like Obama, I would have to change my opinion on black men.
BTW: Anyone who ever really studied history, knows that black women did alot for the civil rights movement and fighting for the rights of blacks in this country. But, we never got the credit for it. Despite what some black men feel, we have always been in the black man’s shadow in terms of everything. And we never get the credit. But, somehow, we get credit for not supporting our men, for being too abrasive, and every negative stereotype you can name.
why is Michelle Obama always so hard faced? Look like shes been sucking on a couple of lemons, love her dearly though and Mr President.
Thank You Dr. Dorothy Height’s for everything you have done in the name of equality. Without people like you President Obama would not be where he is today. We wouldnt have the opportunities of success like we have this day in age. You are truly an angel and Thank You for blessing us. R.I.P.
@ Bohwe
You’re making negative stereotypes as well. MOST black men are not roughnecks. Wtf? Yes there are some but they are not the majority contrary to what the media tries to make people believe. They feed you lies and you believe it. Expand your horizons and learn to see black men as individuals. What if I said most black women are on welfare, have 8 baby daddies, wear colorful weaves, and are argumentative and bitter?
Keep makin history Obama
I THINK IT’S A SIGN OF STRENGTH FOR A MAN TO ALLOW THE TEARS TO FLOW…ESPECIALLY WITH THE WORLD WATCHING. PRES. OBAMA IS A GROWN MAN NOT A LITTLE BOY SO HE CAN EXPRESS REAL EMOTIONS LIKE REAL MEN DO. HE WAS CLOSE TO DOROTHY HEIGHT AND LOVED HER LIKE FAMILY. WHY SHOULDN’T HE BE ALLOWED TO CRY? WE HAVE SEEN BIG STRONG MEN CRY WHEN THEIR TEAM LOSES A GAME BUT PRES. OBAMA CAN’T CRY AT A FUNERAL? GTFOHWTBS.
I just think he’s tired of all the crap that comes with being president and this is the only appropriate time to cry. He’s crying about other things I’m sure. We should pray for him.
REST in PEACE to my soror you have accomplished so much in your lifetime and paved the way for young black women OOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOP DELTA SIGMA THETA KO CHAPTER FALL 06
LOL! C’mon now…
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That was a great, well delivered, well written speech by President Obama. Wow.. he really knows how to inspire, even in sad times.
God Bless America.
I am so proud of the speech President Obama delivered at the Funeral.
I am so proud of President Obama period he is such a gracious, humoble, down to earth, individual he is the eptiome of what a strong black man is and should be.
I absolutely love him !!!!
Dr. Dorothy Height was such a gift to this world and I thank her for all that she contributed to the civil rights movement and to this planet. Thank you !
That was so moving. I know Dr. Height was probably one of the first visitors at the WH when they moved in. How wonderful for her and the others to have lived through all of that and finally get to see their young man make it to the WH. I can only imagine how she felt on Election Night.
I know she, Martin and Malcolm had a great conversation when she made it home.
If you haven’t read her book, “Open Wide the Freedom Gates”, you need to rush out and get it ASAP. I read it in 2 days.
Thank you, Soror Height… You are a beautiful, inspiring woman and many of us can only wish to do a tenth of what you’ve done.
@ keep it 100
CO F*CKING SIGN
Barack H. Obama 2012!
That is all!
@GQ81 Agreed, what a dumb fuck
RIP SOROR DOROTHY HEIGHT. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION AND WORKED UNTIL THE END. WE MUST ALL DO A SELF CHECK. DR. HEIGHT DIED AT 98 YEARS OLD AND WAS VERY ACTIVE IN CIVIL AND WOMEN’S RIGHT UNTIL HER DEATH. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? 20, 30, 40, 50 YEARS OLD—–WHAT WILL YOUR IMPRINT BE ON SOCIETY AND MANKIND. THANK YOU DR. HEIGHT FOR A WONDERFUL LEGACY.