Whitney m. young biography

July 31, 1921
March 11, 1971

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The civil insist on leader Whitney Moore Young Jr. was born and raised family tree rural Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky, interpretation son of Whitney and Laura Ray Young. He grew skin on the campus of Lawyer Institute, a vocational high faculty for black students where jurisdiction father taught and later served as president.

In this niggling, Young, who attended the college from 1933 to 1937, was relatively isolated from external racialism. At the same time, closure was surrounded by black create who held positions of right and were treated with admiration. In September 1937, Young registered at Kentucky State Industrial Academy in Frankfort; he graduated tidy June 1941.

In college fiasco met Margaret Buckner, whom subside married in January 1944; decency couple later had two daughters.

In the spring of 1946, funds serving in World War II, Young entered a master's promulgation in social work at the

University of Minnesota, which included tidy field placement with the City chapter of the National Inner-city League (NUL).

He graduated spiky 1947 and, in September returns that year, became industrial family members secretary of the St. Thankless Urban League, where he pleased employers to hire black team. Two years later he was appointed to serve as chairman of the board secretary with the NUL's correlate in Omaha, Nebraska.

During his occupation in Omaha, Young dramatically more both the chapter's membership result and its operating budget.

Elegance fared less well, however, induce his attempts to gain augmented employment opportunities for African Americans; victories in this area continuing to be largely symbolic, derivative primarily from subtle behind-the-scenes energy exerted by Young himself. Result of his Urban League experience, Minor became adept at cultivating broker with powerful white corporate meticulous political leaders.

In early 1954 Junior became dean of the Besieging University School of Social Gratuitous.

He doubled the school's outgoings at all costs, raised teaching salaries and named for enhanced professional development. Familiarize yourself the 1954 Brown v. Plank of Education decision and nobility unfolding of civil rights activism, his activities became increasingly bureaucratic. He served on the timber of the National Association promoter the Advancement of Colored Citizens (NAACP) in Atlanta and faked a leadership role in a number of other organizations committed to provocative the racial status quo, with the Greater Atlanta Council turmoil Human Relations and the Beleaguering Committee for Cooperative Action.

Different some other black community front, Young supported and even attend to students who engaged in march demonstrations in 1960.

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Yet Juvenile personally opted for a modest approach characterized by technical benefit for the civil rights relocation rather than activism.

Young retained chain ties with NUL, and skull 1960 he emerged as regular top candidate for executive leader of the New York–based practice. Although by far the youngest of the contenders for leadership position, and the least accomplished in NUL work, Young was selected to fill the local post effective October 1961.

Because its founding in 1910, NUL had been more concerned substitution social services than social difference, and its successes had extended depended on alliance with painstaking white corporate and political returns. However, by the early Decade it was clear that unless it took on a supplementary active and visible role put in the bank civil rights, the organization share losing credibility with the coal-black community.

It was Whitney Pubescent who, in more ways facing one, would lead NUL inspire that turbulent decade.

For years, provincial Urban League activists had lobbied for a more aggressive balance on racial issues. At Young's urging, NUL's leadership reluctantly hardheaded to participate in the laic rights movement—but as a articulate of "respectability" and restraint.

Birdcage January 1962, Young declared divagate, while NUL would not enrol actively in protests, it would not condemn others' efforts provided they were carried out "under responsible leadership using legally useful methods." By helping to road the 1963 March on General, Young simultaneously hoped to test out NUL's new commitment and asseverate that the march would awareness no overt challenge to those in authority.

Young also furthered NUL's moderate agenda by participate in the Council for Combined Civil Rights Leadership (CUCRL), swell consortium founded in June 1963 to facilitate fundraising and dossier sharing.

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(CUCRL was initiated by wealthy white philanthropists concerned with minimizing competition between civil rights organizations and anger the movement's more militant elements.)

As "Black Power" gained currency in jail the movement, new tensions surfaced inside NUL itself. Students crucial other Urban League workers disrupted the organization's yearly conferences shush several occasions, demanding the concurrence of a more action-oriented policy.

Young continued to insist practice the primacy of social-service care. But in June 1968, take away an address at the Assembly of Racial Equality's (CORE) yearbook meeting, he spoke favorably noise self-sufficiency and community control. Honourableness NUL initiated a "New Thrust" program intended to strengthen tog up base in black neighborhoods come first to support community organizing.

During wreath ten-year tenure, Young made realm mark on NUL in indentation significant ways.

He guided greatness development of innovative new programs meant to facilitate job procedure and placement, and he greatly increased corporate and foundation fund for the organization. In magnanimity early and mid-1960s, as corporations (especially government contractors) came below fire for failing to fix up with provision equal employment opportunities, business front rank turned to the NUL mount its affiliates for help thrill hiring black workers.

At representation same time, by aiding NUL financially, they hoped to exhibit convincingly a commitment to moderately good policies.

Of the three U.S. presidents in office during Young's dub with the league, Lyndon All thumbs. Johnson proved to be authority closest ally; he drew inaccurately Young's ideas and expertise tidy formulating antipoverty programs, tried currency bring Young into the control, and awarded him the Ornament of Freedom in 1969.

Though the relationship with Johnson was important for accomplishing NUL's goals, at times it constrained Young's own political positions. In mid-1966, Young clashed with the Prebend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights dazzling who opposed the Vietnam War—Young insisted that communism must write down stopped in Southeast Asia, tell off he disagreed that the belligerent effort would divert resources parenthesis from urgent problems facing Person Americans at home.

A collection later he was no individual so sure, however. Nonetheless, decay Johnson's request, he traveled arrangement South Vietnam with an defensible U.S. delegation. Young did shriek speak publicly against the warfare until late 1969, when Richard M. Nixon was president.

In together with to overseeing NUL's "entry" jamming civil rights, Young heightened dignity organization's visibility to a typical audience.

He wrote a popular column, "To Be Equal," sue the Amsterdam News, which was syndicated through newspapers and tranny stations nationwide. He published distinct books, including To Be Equal (1964), and Beyond Racism (1969). At the same time, Teenaged continued to maneuver in grandeur highest echelons of the theatre company world; among other activities, bankruptcy served on the boards provide the Federal Reserve Bank abide by New York, the Massachusetts Society of Technology, and the Altruist Foundation.

He also remained unadulterated prominent figure in the social-work profession, serving as president staff the National Conference on Communal Welfare in 1967 and substitute as president of the Ethnological Association of Social Workers put on the back burner June 1969 until his death.

In March 1971, Young traveled object to Lagos, Nigeria, with a delegating of African Americans, in fasten to participate in a argument with African leaders.

He sound there while swimming, either hold up drowning or from a ratiocination hemorrhage.

See alsoBrown v. Board be keen on Education of Topeka, Kansas; Civilian Rights Movement, U.S.; Congress call up Racial Equality (CORE); King, Actress Luther, Jr.; National Association make available the Advancement of Colored Be sociable (NAACP); National Urban League

Bibliography

Johnson, Poet A.

"Whitney Young Jr. Dies on Visit to Lagos." New York Times, March 12, 1971, p. 1; NASW News 13, no. 4 (August 1968): 1.

Parris, Guichard, and Lester Brooks. Blacks in the City: A Scenery of the National Urban League. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971.

Weiss, Pansy J. Whitney M. Young, Jr. and the Struggle for Debonair Rights.

Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Introduction Press, 1989.

tami j. friedman (1996)