Photo courtesy the Washington Post.

Civil rights, feminist and social work pioneer Dorothy I. Height, 98, died at 3:41 a.m. in Washington, D.C.  of natural causes.

Height  began her professional career as a welfare case worker and went on to become one of the masterminds of the Civil Rights movement, although she did not gain much public attention at the time.

She was also president of the National Council of Negro Women and pushed for equal rights for women.

Height associated with some of the most influential Americans of the past century, including President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, and A. Phillip Randolph.

Until the end of her life she did continued advocating for the poor and oppressed in American society and around the world. “If the times aren’t ripe, you have to ripen the times,” she would say.

Height was to receive the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers this week.

“Dr. Height is a civil rights icon whose tireless effort on behalf of others exemplifies the social work commitment to social justice and advocacy,” NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, said when it was announced Height would get the honor. “She is an inspirational leader whose legacy will be one of strength, determination and great achievement for future social work leaders to follow.”

To read the Washington Post tribute to Height click here.