Obama breaks down in tears at funeral of 'Godmother' of American civil rights movement Dorothy Height



Tears streaming down his cheeks, grief overcame Barack Obama today as he attended the funeral of the woman he called the 'Godmother' of the American civil rights movement.

The U.S. president was weeping openly as he watched the service for Dorothy Height in Washington today.

He delivered the eulogy for Dr Height, whose activisim stretched from the New Deal right up until Mr Obama's election as the first African American president of the United States.

Overcome: U.S. President Barack Obama wipes away tears during the funeral for the 'Godmother' of the civil rights movement Dorothy Height in Washington today



Distraught: The president was joined by his wife Michelle, and Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the service



Changing the course of history: Dr Dorothy Height, left, in one of her characteristically colourful outfits, with her comrade-at-arms Rosa Parks



Dr Height died last week at 98 after a long illness. She was a pioneering voice of the civil rights movement who remained active and outspoken well into her 90s.

She often received rousing ovations at events around Washington, where she was easily recognisable in the bright, colourful hats she almost always wore.



Dr Height led the National Council of Negro Women for decades and marched with the Rev Martin Luther King Jr.

She was honoured by Mr Obama during the service at Washington National Cathedral for her leadership on the front lines fighting for equality, education and to ease racial tension.



Respect: Mr Obama watches as Dr Height's coffin is carried into the cathedral



Here because of her: Mr Obama takes the podium to deliver the eulogy for Dr Height today



'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 the doggedness and energy of Dr Height, who led the National Council of Negro Women for decades and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the head of the civil rights movement.

Dr Height in 1974, and with President Ronald Regan during a reception at the White House in 1983

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 despite an approaching blizzard and being confined to a wheelchair.



She would not allow 'just a bunch of men' to control the meeting, Obama said. Dr 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 Dr Height's trademark attire, Obama said, 'we loved those hats she wore like a crown. Regal.'

He cited her role in desegregating the Young Women's Christian Association 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, an early 20th century black nationalist.

Regal lady: Dr Height shares a joke with George W Bush before he presented her with the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington DC in 2004

'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 Dr Height's memory by serving their country and making it better.

She was a voice for women in the civil rights movement and beyond. Leading women are expected to celebrate her life in return, including poet Maya Angelou, educator Camille Cosby, singers BeBe Winans and Denyce Graves, among others.

Dr Height was a quietly powerful figure in Washington, meeting with every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Honoured: Then-President Bill Clinton applauds Dr Height after presenting her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994

Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1912 before women could vote and when black people had few rights in America, Dr Height went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees from New York University.

As a social worker in the 1930s, she worked to resolve riots in Harlem and marched in protest of lynching.

By 1957, she became head of the organisation and created the National Black Family Reunion, attended by thousands since 1986 on the National Mall.



Lasting impact: The view inside the cathedral today as Mr Obama took to the podium



She led the council to be the only historic black group with a home on Washington's symbolic Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and White House.

She stepped down in 1997, but the building still bears her name. Friends raised $5million in 2002 to pay off the mortgage.



