Dorothy F. Bailey is an American civic leader from

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

. She served on the county council for eight years, serving two terms as chairman. She has served on the boards of many national and local organizations, including the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). She established the county's

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

Festival, which has been held annually since 1999, and founded several community organizations. She was inducted into the

Maryland Women's Hall of Fame The Maryland Women's Hall of Fame (MWHF) recognizes significant achievements and statewide contributions made by women who are Maryland-natives or state residents. It was established in 1985 by the Maryland Commission for Women and the Women Legisl ...

in 2014.

Biography

She was born in

Dunn, North Carolina Dunn is the largest city of Harnett County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 9,263 at the 2010 census, and an estimated 9,718 in 2018. It is the anchor city of the Dunn Micropolitan Area, population 114,678 (2010 census), which ...

. She first became involved in civil rights advocacy while studying sociology at

North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from b ...

, from which she received a B.A. degree in 1962. She pursued postgraduate studies in education and gerontology at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

and the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. Early in her career she taught in the public schools and worked in the

Upward Bound Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs now referred to as TRiO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (the War on P ...

program. From 1983 to 1994, she held senior-level positions at several Prince George's County government agencies, including executive director of the Consumer Protection Commission, and community partnerships director at the Department of Family Services. In 1994 she was elected to the Prince George's county council, where she served for eight years. She was council chairman for two terms and vice chair for three terms. After leaving the council, Bailey served as parent liaison for the Prince George's County Public Schools. In 2001, Bailey was elected to the national executive council of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); she is also president of the Prince George's County chapter. In 2002 she founded the Harlem Remembrance Foundation of Prince George's County, serving as its chairman of the board from 2003 to 2011. The foundation holds the annual

Festival, an idea Bailey conceived as a way to highlight the artistic and cultural contributions of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance era, and to showcase the work of county residents who continue that legacy. The festival draws thousands of visitors each year and features poetry readings, dance performances, visual art, and live jazz. Notable performers have included actor Clifton Powell, who read the poetry of

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, and jazz vocalist

Jean Carne Jean Carn, also spelled Jean Carne (born Sarah Jean Perkins; March 15, 1947) is an American jazz and pop singer. In mid career, she added a final ''e'' to her name. Carn is a vocalist credited with a five octave vocal range. Biography Carn was ...

. Bailey was instrumental in the founding of several other non-profit organizations, including the LEARN Foundation (Landover Educational Athletic Recreational Non-Profit), the Kiamsha Youth Empowerment Organization, and the

Royal Bafokeng The Royal Bafokeng is the ethnic homeland of the Bafokeng people, a Setswana-speaking traditional community. The monarchy covers in the North West Province of South Africa. The capital is Phokeng, near Rustenburg. "Bafokeng" is used to refer ...

Sister City Friendship Committee. She has also served on the national and local boards of the

Honors and awards

* Induction into the

, 2014 * Gladys Noon Spellman Award for Public Service *

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for Political Activism, 1999 * The National Council of Negro Women's Bethune Recognition Award *

's 2013 Alumnus of the Year * Induction into the Prince George's County Women's Hall of Fame, 1996 * Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Riverside Baptist College and Seminary, 1991

Publications

References

External links

The Wise Women Project

The Harlem Remembrance Foundation of Prince George's County

Kiamsha Youth Empowerment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Dorothy F. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century Maryland politicians 21st-century American women politicians Activists from Maryland Activists from North Carolina African-American activists Maryland Democrats North Carolina Central University alumni People from Dunn, North Carolina People from Temple Hills, Maryland Women in Maryland politics County commissioners in Maryland

Biography

Honors and awards

Publications

References

Further reading

External links