National Council Of Negro Women

Dorothy Height, who was called the queen mother of the civil rights movement through seven decades of advocacy for racial equality -- including 41 years as president of the National Council of Negro Women -- has died. She was 98. Height, who also played a key role in integrating the YWCA, died Tuesday of natural causes at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., the council announced. Though not nearly as well known as her male contemporaries, Height was a steadfast presence in the civil rights movement.

Dorothy Height, who was called the queen mother of the civil rights movement through seven decades of advocacy for racial equality — including 41 years as president of the National Council of Negro Women — has died. She was 98. Height, who also played a key role in integrating the YWCA, died Tuesday of natural causes at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., the council announced. Though not nearly as well known as her male contemporaries, Height was a steadfast presence in the civil rights movement.

I have one completely unscientific test for all cookbooks claiming to represent a people's inheritance. They should convey the following feeling: "This writer's hands have cooking in them." The reader should sense the writer's brain-to-fingertip-trained instincts going back to parents and grandparents and families of hard-to-please food lovers. When it comes to the realm of current African-American cookbooks, this test is especially useful in telling the genuine from the phony.

Please don't offer Etha Robinson a chocolate chip cookie. Or an Oreo. Or a gingersnap. Not even with a cold glass of milk. Robinson, a baker who teaches biology at Dorsey High School, is committed to a cookie of a different sort, one with a past that is dear to her heart--and a bountiful future. "We grew up on tea cakes," said Robinson, who was born in Yazoo City, Miss., and now lives in Los Angeles. "They were a gift of love. If something has served you well, you never abandon it."

Markham Junior High teacher Yvonne Divans-Hutchinson will be awarded the National Council of Negro Women's Excellence in Teaching Award at a luncheon Friday at the Biltmore Hotel. Divans-Hutchinson heads the English department at the South-Central Los Angeles school, and teaches English and journalism. The council will present its award at its Black Family Reunion Celebration.

Mission College will host a series of events celebrating Black History Month beginning today with a free all-day film festival in the school's Campus Center, officials said. Other free public events marking the month at the Sylmar campus include an arts festival, a cultural fair and a panel discussion on race relations sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women.

Hailing Dorothy Height as "the giant of the civil rights movement," President Bush presented her the Congressional Gold Medal. Height, 92, for more than 30 years was the head of the National Council of Negro Women, an organization dedicating to uplifting black women and their communities. In 1964, she organized a series of informal dialogues between white and black women from the North and South called "Wednesdays in Mississippi."

Coldwell Banker offices in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have been established as drop-off points for food, clothing and other donations to aid riot victims. Donations will be collected daily at all 28 Coldwell Banker locations in the region for at least a year, officials said. The collection drive is a joint effort of Coldwell Banker and actress Lindsay Wagner. The donations are being distributed in South Los Angeles by the National Council of Negro Women.