Details Of Dorothy Height's Funeral

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A funeral service honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Dorothy I. Height will take place Thursday, April 29, at 10 am, at Washington National Cathedral.

Dr. Height, who was chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, died at the age of 98 on Tuesday, April 20. Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III commented, “It’s a distinct honor and privilege for Washington National Cathedral to host Dorothy Height’s funeral. Her life of service and dedication to the cause of justice and equality for all shows what a difference one person can make in this world.” Dr. Height served on the Cathedral’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2010 Honorary Committee and participated in a number of Cathedral events including the Leadership Council for an international summit on global poverty for the empowerment of women and girls in April 2008.

Watch live coverage here on Black Radio Networkk, beginning Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 10AM EST. WATCH LIVE HERE

Public wishing to attend should arrive by 7 am to form a line along Wisconsin Avenue at the intersection of Lych Gate Road, south of the Cathedral’s entrance toward Massachusetts Avenue. Please note that not more than 700 general public attendees will be granted a ticket.

Seating for the service begins at 8 am, and invited guests holding tickets should plan to arrive as close to 8 am as possible. Guests holding tickets should proceed to security screening at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Hearst Circle to gain entrance to the Cathedral. Please note there will be no parking available, and guests should make arrangements to be dropped off in the vicinity.

Reflections by Dr. Camille Cosby and Dr. Bernard Randolph are scheduled with readings by Dr. Barbara Shaw and Bishop Vashti McKenzie. Bishop of Washington John Bryson Chane and Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr., senior pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., will officiate, and Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III will offer a homily.

Celebrated poet and civil rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou will also participate. Alexis Herman, former U.S. secretary of labor and mentee of the deceased, will offer a special reflection.

Musical selections will be offered by renowned mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, Grammy-winning gospel and R&B singer BeBe Winans, the Howard University Choir, and the Cathedral Choir.

###

Contact: Elizabeth Mullen

(202) 537-6248

emullen@cathedral.org

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

President Orders Flags To Be Flown At Half Staff In Honor Of Dorothy Height

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

As a mark of respect for the memory of Dorothy Height,

I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution

and the laws of the United States of America, that, on the day of

her interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at