© 2025 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Your gift to the station will go twice as far thanks to a generous matching grant from the Greg Nelson Trust.
Now is the time to act: Click here to donate to KUNR today. 🧡

Dorothy Height: 'Open Wide the Freedom Gates'

Dorothy Height joins NPR's Juan Williams to discuss her new memoir, Open Wide the Freedom Gates, and her experiences as one of the leading figures in the civil rights movement.

Height served simultaneously in the National Council of Negro Women, the Young Women's Christian Association, and the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Inc. Height became president of the sorority in 1947 and president of the NCNW in 1957.

During the 1960s, she organized extensive voting efforts and led countless civil rights demonstrations across the country. Afterwards, Height developed programs to help young black women gain greater freedom and independence.

In 1994, President Clinton awarded Height the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Juan Williams
Juan Williams, one of America's leading journalists, is a news analyst, appearing regularly on NPR's Morning Edition. Knowledgeable and charismatic, Williams brings insight and depth — hallmarks of NPR programs — to a wide spectrum of issues and ideas.