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Whitney Moore Young Jr. was born on July 31, 1921 in in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky. Young Jr. grew up in the Segregated South, however he was sheltered and lived a cushioned life. Whitney was exposed to affluential and talented black professionals that were influential in his life. (Dickerson, 1998)

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Young enlisted in the military and served during WWII. He became a mediator in France and settled many disputes between black soldiers and their white superiors. (Dickerson, 1998)
After mediating, Young realized that there was an opportunity to move blacks beyond the Jim Crow era to better opportunities for economic and educational success. (Dickerson, 1998)
His conclusion on segregation was that this served as an impediment and not a chance at advancement for blacks. This propelled his desire to serve the black community. (Dickerson, 1998)

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Blacks were segregated as customers and faced employment discrimination that would eliminate their opportunity to access of higher paying jobs; leaving them to basic occupations.
(Dickerson, 1998)

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-In 1947, Young received his MSW from the University of Minnesota.
-Began working for the Urban League of St. Paul. (NaSW)
-During Young's work, he was committed to the equality of Blacks. (NASW)
- Registered voters of the 1960's during the Civil Rights Struggles. (NASW)
-Participated in the March on Washington. (NASW)
-Obtained funding from several resources such as; the Taylor Foundation, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Committee
(SCLC), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). (NASW)
-Co-author of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. (Clark Atlanta University)
- Was an advisor on race relations to leadership such as President Kennedy, President Johnson, and President Nixon. (NASW)
-In 1968, Young was honored by President with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (NASW)
-Young wrote two books: To Be Equal and Beyond Racism. (NASW)
-In 1969, Young received the highest civilian award for his work. The Medal of Freedom.

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-In 1950, Young became the director of the Urban League in Omaha, Nebraska. (NASW)
-In 1954, Young was named the dean of Social Work in Atlanta. (NASW)
-In 1961: Elected Executive Director of The National Urban League. (Stanford University)
-In 1962, Whitney became the President of the National Urban League. (NASW)
-Young learned important lessons about mobilization efforts for interracial support for the advancements of blacks. (Dickerson, 1998)
-Used persuasion to influence influential whites to cooperate with the effort of the League to broaden employment opportunities for blacks. (Dickerson, 1998)

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lyndon Baines Johnson Library.

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"It is ... a sad commentary on American democracy that a people should be held down for over two hundred years and denied the necessary funds to build decent schools and then should be called upon in the name of justice to give up the little they have so that justice might be done to all." (Dickerson, 1998)

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"Clark Atlanta University renamed its school of social work after Young in honor of his years of service to the university and to the social work profession." (Clark Atlanta University)

Young fought for blacks to have the same access to pillars of the American Dream: jobs, healthcare, education, and housing. Young wanted a greater understanding from those in power that creating greater racial diversity in these institutions was of moral and financial interest. (Robinson, 2016)

-Young was the epitome of what Social Work represents. Young was instrumental in breaking down barriers of segregation and inequality. This is important for the work we do in Social Work.
-Mr. Young developed programs that challenged systemic and racial employment discrimination.  (NASW)

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chris McNair.

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On March 11th, 1971 Young drowned while swimming in Lagos, Nigeria. Young was only 49 years old at the time of his death.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of National Urban League.

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National Association of social Workers (NASW). (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.socialworkers.org/

Young, Whitney MOORE. (2018, June 05). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/young-whitney-moore

Donaldson, G., & Dickerson, D. C. (2000). Militant mediator: Whitney M. Young Jr. The Journal of Southern History, ₆₆(3), 678. doi:10.2307/2587929

Whitney M. Young Jr. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.cau.edu/school-of-social-work/Whitney-M-Young-Jr.html

Whitney M. Young, Jr. biography at Black history now. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from http://blackhistorynow.com/whitney-m-young-jr/

Young, Whitney Moore, jr. (1921-1971). (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/whitney-moore-young-jr/

Robinson, J. (2016, February 12). INDEPENDENT lens: The POWERBROKER: Whitney YOUNG'S fight for civil rights. Retrieved February 21, 2021, from https://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/feb/12/independent-lens-powerbroker-whitney-youngs-fight-/

Road signs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from http://www.shelbykyhistory.org/History-Moments/Road-Signs/road-signs.html

Road signs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2021, from http://www.shelbykyhistory.org/History-Moments/Road-Signs/road-signs.html