Ticker tape

Jet, March 8, 2004

CONFIDENTIAL: Described as the first lady of the Civil Rights Movement, 91-year-old Dr. Dorothy Irene Height will be presented the nation's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, on March 24 in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington. Last year both legislative bodies selected for the high honor the Richmond, VA, native who headed the National Council of Negro Women for 65 years.

This year, Congress decided to promote an unprecedented historic evening by allowing Dr. Height to use the rotunda for her celebrated ceremony ... When the Historical Black College and University Board met in Washington, President George W. Bush invited the 20 leaders to meet with him at the White House. Board President Dr. Louis Sullivan thanked the president for his support in helping the institutions ... So highly regarded is Maryland's first Black Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele that his supporters arranged an exhibition of his photographs and documents and put them on display at an Annapolis elementary school for Black History Month ... Attracting attention on her speaking trips is Donna Brazille, the first Black woman ever to manage a presidential campaign and now chair of the Democratic Voting Rights Institute ... Both Reps. John Conyers and Gregory Meeks were among the first to urge President Bush to end the violence in Haiti. They wanted a more active involvement in mediating a solution since Secretary of State Colin Powell said that U.S. troops would not be sent to the small island country.