[IMGCAP(1)]Civil rights icon Dorothy Height, 98, died Tuesday, leaving behind a legacy of 80 years of working for the rights of African-Americans and women.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. American leaders, including first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, regularly turned to her for advice. Height also encouraged President Lyndon B. Johnson to appoint African-American women to positions in government.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) said in a statement, “I have lost my godmother and the godmother of the great movements of her time.”