July 31, 1921 - 1992
Overview:
Whitney Young had a belief in the underlying good of people. He recognised that the problems of poverty and injustice could lead to the development of hate and all the social problems that go with that. He worked tirelessly to improve the life of many that felt they were powerless to act.
Country:
United States of America
Type
of hero: Economic and Social Rights
Attributes:
Civil rights Activist, Humanitarian
Biography:
As a young person, Whitney was good at school and really enjoyed what he was doing there. This is a little different to a number of the other people featured on this site as we have noticed that a number of them didn’t initially do all that well at school.
Whitney joined the army during the Second World War. He was a firm belief that all young Americans would benefit from the sort of discipline that the army might provide them. His capacity as a mediator was probably enhanced in the army where there were many times that one would be spoken to – but was expected not to talk back.
He was especially skilled as a mediator between blacks and whites when the black soldiers may have had complaints about the way that they were treated. According to some, this shaped the future direction he took in life, choosing to pursue activities where he could work directly to improve race relations rather than for his own personal benefit.
He went back to College in 1947 and graduated with a Master’s degree in Social work. He was appointed director of the National Urban League in 1961. (The National Urban League was founded in 1910 by a group of philanthropists. The purpose of the league was to help Southern African Americans who had recently migrated to northern cities to find jobs. The organization was particularly successful under the leadership of Whitney Young who managed to increase the budget of the organisation and managed to create thousands of new jobs for African Americans. from
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAurban.htm ) - (the orange section could be used as a pop up to explain the Urban League or simply added in at this point – what do you think?)
He actively recruited Blacks to join the league and in 1962 began the National Skills Bank, which trained workers specifically for jobs in industry. Along with this, he developed a number of programs designed to help improve race relations between blacks and whites.
He was one of the key planners for the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom in 1963 where he spoke out for the application of civil rights in all aspects of life – not just in the workforce. He was a realist in recognising that such a change would not happen over night – but committed himself to working for a process of gradual reform.
Tragically, on 11th March 1971, he drowned while swimming with friends in Lagos, Nigeria. His life was finally very rich though cut short.
His legacy lives on even now with the Urban League.
In 1974, the Urban League’s board of directors approved the establishment of the First Annual Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award Dinner. This event was to serve as a tribute to Young, a fundraiser and a means of communicating the objectives and programs of the Urban League to the Los Angeles community. John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach was the first dinner awardee. The dinner was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and featured an address by the newly elected Los Angeles Mayor, Tom Bradley. The income raised from the dinner continues to provide support for the League’s programs and services.
Citations
& References:
Links:
http://www.kysu.edu/WYoungBio.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/2667/Young.htm
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