National Council of Negro Women

Contact

633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Ph. (202) 737-0120
Fx. (202) 737-0476
http://www.ncnw.org/
ncnwinfo@ncnw.org


The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a voluntary nonprofit membership organization helping women of African descent to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and communities. NCNW works through advocacy and community-based programming in the United States, Egypt, Senegal and Zimbabwe. Through its national affiliated constituency-based organizations and 250 community-based sections, NCNW has an outreach to four million women. It has Consultative Status at the United Nations.

Recently Posted

Obama hails Height as humble force for equality News from the Network
By BRETT ZONGKER and JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writer Brett Zongker And Julie Pace, Associated...

Civil Rights Legend Dorothy Height Passes News from the Network
WASHINGTON (April 20) – Dorothy Irene Height, long-time civil rights activist, chair and...

Uncommon Height Awards Gala Network Event
The Uncommon Height Gala is always celebrated in honor of Dr. Dorothy Height's birthday. This year...

Principal Staff

Lola E. Kyle Early, Executive Assistant

Janice Ferebee, Director- Bethune Program Development Center

Melanie Hill, General Office Clerk

Michele Holder, Volunteer Coordinator/Executive Assistant Floater

Avis Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D., Director- Research, Public Policy, and Information Center

Joell Royal, Research, Public Policy and Information Center

Christine Toney, Executive Assistant to the Chair

Dennis Watkins, Chief Finance Officer

Cassandra M. Robinson Wint, Office Manager

Areas of Expertise:

HIV/AIDS, International Organizations, Family & Society, Globalization, Women's Movements, Economic Development & Security, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Globalization, Human Rights & Security

Member Experts:

Avis Jones-DeWeever


Projects & Campaigns

The National Centers for African American Women and the Dorothy I. Height Leadership Institute

The Bethune Program Development Center (BPDC) serves as a resource to increase the capacity of communities, to address the multiple needs facing African American families, and to effectively link families with neighborhood and community services. The Center provides technical assistance and training; public information and advocacy; and development of partnerships and collaborations in three core issue areas (health, education, and community life).

The Economic and Entrepreneurial Development Center provides women with technical assistance to establish and maintain businesses and encourage economic development as a means of combating women's poverty.

The International Development Center (IDC) was established to develop social, cultural, academic, and economic partnerships with women's organizations in Africa. NCNW's collective experiences have afforded African and African American women the opportunity to work together to improve the quality of life for women, their families, and their communities.

The Research, Public Policy and Information Center will be the premier information catalyst to gather, initiate and disseminate information to empower African American women and stimulate advocacy to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and communities.

The Dorothy I. Height Leadership Institute has been established as a leadership development center for emerging and established African American women leaders in national and community organizations, on college campuses, and other public and private sector institutions.

Education
Girls and Adolescents
Mentoring

The BPDC has developed a number of initiatives to maximize the personal, emotional and academic growth and development of African American children through the recognition of the fundamental importance of education. Two major initiatives focus on parental involvement and mentoring.

Parental Involvement. NCNW supports and promotes National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) held on the second Monday in February.

Mentoring. The national headquarters recruits and trains mentors to assist students with their educational, personal and social development at two public schools in Washington, DC. The students are part of the Saturday Academy of the University of District of Columbia, a pre-college program focusing on engineering, mathematics and computer science.


Family

Black Family Reunion Celebration. Created in 1986 by noted Civil Rights leader and NCNW President Dorothy I. Height, the Black Family Reunion Celebration is an outdoor, cultural event which brings families, communities, corporations, and government agencies together to focus on the historic strengths and traditional values of the Black family. It has been hailed as the nation's largest and most significant family movement, attracting more than one million attendees annually all over the country.


Global Issues

Egypt: Improving Civil Society. NCNW works with Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) that are registered with USAID and Egyptian authorities to improve PVO development. These non-profit, voluntary organizations provide vital services that impact the quality of life of the poor and encourage self-help activities. As the result of a pilot project, NCNW has been managing an Umbrella Management Institute to help develop the capacity of PVOs in Egypt. In October 1999, the NCNW Egypt office hosted a conference titled "Cradle of Civilization and the New Millennium: Citizen Participation in the Decision-Making." This symposium enabled non-governmental organizations in Egypt to discuss issues related to social development problems and their role in helping to solve these problems through the active participation of community members.

Senegal: Achieving Sustainable Development. The NCNW West Africa Regional Office (WARO) collaborates with many local organizations to implement programs that improve the quality of life for families and communities in both rural and urban areas in Senegal. In 1998, WARO's rural development work with the village of Dal Diam was selected as an example of sustainable development and honored with a visit from President Bill Clinton during his tour of Africa. In collaboration with the Federation of Associations of Senegalese Women (FAFS), FAFS operates three micro-credit offices in three different countries throughout Senegal.

Health and Healthcare

NCNW's health programs respond to critical health issues affecting African American women and their families. Through programs such as the NCNW Women's Health Initiative; the HIV/STD Prevention Initiative; the National Cancer Prevention Awareness Initiative; the National Demonstration Drug Prevention Program and the Health Protection and Reproductive Health Initiative, NCNW has formed the linkages and established the collaborative relationships that will ensure improvement in the health status of African American families throughout the country.

 

Reports & Resources

Sisters Newsletter. This quarterly newsletter provides members with information on the center's activities and other items of interest to the African American community.

Voices of Vision: African American Women on the Issues (1996). Compiled by the National Council of Negro Women, this book presents the many voices of African American women on issues related to the work of the National Centers for African American Women. These authors' authoritative and informed words of wisdom and knowledge illuminate the issues facing African American women -- and give our view on how these issues will impact the present and future of ourselves, our families and our communities here and abroad.

Health and Healthcare
Fact Sheets

FACTS ON: The Health Status of African American Women. NCNW (1997).

Healthy Living and Safe Self-Medication Tips for African American Women and their Families. NCNW (1993).

The Impact of HIV/AIDS and STDs on African American Women. NCNW (1997).

Annual Reports

Center News

Obama hails Height as humble force for equality
Thursday, April 29, 2010 - 4:36pm

By BRETT ZONGKER and JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writer Brett Zongker And Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer – Thu Apr 29, 12:24 pm ET

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Thursday eulogized Dorothy Height as a history-making figure in the civil rights movement whose quiet perseverance produced gains in "a righteous cause."
 
Speaking to hundreds of mourners in the stately Washington National Cathedral, Obama recounted Height's commitment to the cause during decades of work, mostly behind the scenes while the movement's male leaders earned more attention and fame.
 
"She never cared about who got the credit," the president said. "What she cared about was the cause. The cause of justice, the cause of equality, the cause of opportunity, freedom's cause."
 
His 13-minute tribute often drew gentle laughter as Obama remembered Height's doggedness and energy. Height, who died last week at age 98, led the National Council of Negro Women for decades and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
 
Height visited the Obama White House 21 times, the president said. He noted that she was determined to attend a meeting of African-American leaders on unemployment last winter even though she was in a wheelchair and a blizzard was approaching.
 
She wouldn't allow "just a bunch of men" to control the meeting, Obama said. When Height's attendance became impossible because cars could not reach her snow-choked driveway, he said, she still sent a message with her ideas.
 
Noting Height's trademark attire, Obama said, "we loved those hats she wore like a crown. Regal."
 
He cited her role in desegregating the YWCA and in leading the National Council of Negro Women with "vision and energy, vision and class." He said her name should be associated with great leaders such as King and W.E.B. DuBois.
 
"She too deserves a place in our history books," Obama said. "She too deserves a place of honor in America's memory."
 
He urged Americans to honor Height's memory by serving their country and making it better. "We can all be drum majors for a righteous cause," the president said.
 
Others were spoke at the service included poet and author Maya Angelou and former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. Opera singer Denyce Graves performed for the audience, which included first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

 
Civil Rights Legend Dorothy Height Passes
Thursday, April 22, 2010 - 10:25am

WASHINGTON (April 20) – Dorothy Irene Height, long-time civil rights activist, chair and president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and "godmother of the women's movement," died of natural causes 3:41 a.m. Tuesday, April 20, at Howard University Hospital, 27 days after her 98th birthday.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing today of my dear friend and mentor, Dorothy Irene Height,” former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman said. “She was a dynamic woman with a resilient spirit, who was a role model for women and men of all faiths, races and perspectives. For her, it wasn't about the many years of her life, but what she did with them.
“Throughout her life, Dr. Height inspired countless women to become effective leaders. She advocated for families and encouraged children to value education and social justice. To draw on the words of NCNW founder Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Height leaves us love, hope, the challenge of developing confidence in one another, respect for the use of power, faith and racial dignity. She was a national treasure who lived life abundantly. She will be greatly missed, not only by those of us who knew her well, but by the countless beneficiaries of her enduring legacy.”
For her years of service to the nation, which stretch back to her work with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Height was awarded America’s two highest civilian awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004 through an act of Congress.
Height’s name is synonymous with the NCNW, an organization she headed from 1957, when she was elected the organization’s fourth national president, to l998, when she became the group’s chair and president emerita.
She was a key figure throughout the Civil Rights Movement. She was the female team leader in the Civil Rights Leadership, along with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins and John Lewis. At the 1963 March on Washington, Height was on the platform when King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
During the civil rights era, Height led NCNW to deal with unmet needs of women and their families by combating hunger and establishing decent housing and home ownership programs through the federal government for low-income families. Her organization led voter registration drives and established "Wednesdays in Mississippi" where interracial groups of women would help at Freedom Schools.
The organization’s accomplishments under Height are numerous. NCNW developed model international, national and community-based programs that were replicated by many other groups, from teen-age parenting to pig "banks" that addressed hunger in rural areas. In 1975, she initiated the sole African-American private voluntary organization working in Africa, building on the success of NCNW's domestic projects.
NCNW established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black Women, the first institution devoted to black women's history, and the Bethune Council House as a national historic site. The organization dedicated the statue of the first woman and person of color on public land, Mary McLeod Bethune, in the nation's Capitol. It also established the Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986 to reinforce the historic strengths and traditional values of the African-American family.
Height was also a key figure in the YWCA beginning in 1937 as assistant executive director of the West 137th Street branch of the New York YWCA. From 1944 to 1977, she served on the staff of the National Board of the YWCA of the USA and held several leadership positions in public affairs and leadership training. Additionally, she served as director of the National YWCA School for Professional Workers. In 1965, she was named director of the Center for Racial Justice, a position she held until her retirement. In l970, Height spearheaded the YWCA Convention’s adoption of its "One Imperative" to the elimination of racism.
Born in Richmond, Va., and reared in Rankin, Pa., Height’s career as a civil rights advocate began in 1933 when she became a leader of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America in the New Deal era.
She worked to prevent lynching, desegregate the armed forces, reform the criminal justice system and allow free access to public accommodations. She was also known for her extensive international and developmental education work.
She was one of 10 American youth delegates to the World Conference of Life and Work of the Churches in Oxford, England.
In 1938, Height was one of 10 American youth invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to spend a weekend at her Hyde Park, N.Y., home to plan and prepare for the World Youth Conference to be held at Vassar College.
In 1939, she was a representative of the YWCA to the World Conference of Christian Youth in Amsterdam Holland.
In 1947, Height became national president of Delta Sigma Theta after serving for three years as vice president. In 1952, she served as a visiting professor at the University of Delhi, India in the Delhi School of Social Work.
Height also experienced her share of the kind of discrimination that she spent her life fighting. In her memoir, Open Wide the Freedom Gates, she described her traveling to New York’s Barnard College at their request for an interview.
"Although I had been accepted, they could not admit me,” she wrote. “It took me a while to realize that their decision was a racial matter: Barnard had a quota of two Negro students per year, and two others had already taken the spots.”
She subsequently pursued studies at New York University, where she earned her Master's Degree in psychology.
At its 1980 commencement ceremonies years later, Barnard College awarded Height its highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction. She has received 36 honorary doctorate degrees.
 
# # #

Contact:

Flo McAfee (202) 486-3673

 

Opportunities, Grants & Fellowships

Grants/Scholarships

Excellence in Teaching Awards Program (EITA). The purpose of this program is to honor the contributions of outstanding teachers of African American youth and to recognize excellence in the teaching profession. Since NCNW initiated the EITA program in 1990, we have honored sixty-three stellar educators who work tirelessly to instill "a thirst for education" in African American students. Each year a national panel of judges selects one national winner and six regional winners to be honored in ceremonies held as part of NCNW's national and regional Black Family Reunion Celebrations. Each regional winner is presented a cash award of $1,200, a specially designed crystal sculpture, a certificate of recognition and a plaque to be displayed at the teacher's school. In addition to the sculpture, certificate and plaque, the national winner receives a cash award of $5,000.