About Young, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Whitney Moore Young, Jr., was born in Lincoln Village, Kentucky on July 31, 1921. He graduated from the Kentucky State College, after which he held positions as a high school teacher, coach, and assistant principal. He then joined the army and began his study of engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After serving in World War II, Young earned a master's degree in social work form the University of Minnesota. He then worked at various universities before becoming Executive Director of the National Urban League, a social work organization, in New York City.

Under his leadership, the National Urban League became a leader in the civil rights movement, and championed the eradication of poverty and racism. Preferring to work within the power systems of the day, he met with Presidents  John F. Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon on a number of issues and testified before Congress. He once said, "Every man is our brother, and every man’s burden is our own. Where poverty exists, all are poorer. Where hate flourishes, all are corrupted. Where injustice reins, all are unequal."

Young is also the author of the books, To Be Equal and Beyond Racism. Whitney Young died on March 11, 1971.

Sources:

"Whitney Young." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 3 October 2007. 29 October 2007. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Young>.

"History." National Urban League. 29 October 2007. <http://www.nul.org/history.html>.

Do you have some historical information about this school? Submit info »