Whitney
Young Jr. was an African-American civil rights leader who helped
transform the National Urban League into a major civil rights
organization, working to end employment discrimination in the
United States during the 1960s. Whitney Young believed it was
important to work within the system to bring about change, and
developed close relationships with major CEOs and political leaders,
to advocate the hiring of black workers. But he also wasn't afraid
to stand up to the establishment and take a stand for civil rights.
He was, for example, one of the organizers of the March on Washington
in 1963, even though this upset many white business leaders. Whitney
Young served on Presidential Commissions under both President
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Many of his Urban League programs
to help minorities gain access to better education, employment
and housing were included in President Johnson's Anti-Poverty
Program in the 1960s.
