Whitney Moore Young Jr. (July 31, 1921 – March 11, 1971) was an American civil rights leader. Trained as a social worker, he spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and … See more

Young was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, on July 31, 1921. His father, Whitney M. Young Sr., was the president of the See more

In 1968, Young was invited to address the American Institute of Architects National Convention in Portland, Oregon through the keynote speech. At the time, Young was the executive … See more

On March 11, 1971, Young drowned while swimming with friends in Lagos, Nigeria, where he was attending a conference sponsored by the African-American Institute. President Nixon sent a plane to Nigeria to collect Young's body and traveled to … See more

In 1961, at age 40, Young became executive director of the National Urban League. He was unanimously selected by the National Urban League's Board of Directors, succeeding See more

Young served as president of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), from 1969 to 1971. He took office at a time of fiscal instability in … See more

In 1944, he married Margaret Buckner Young. They had two daughters and moved to New Rochelle in 1961.
Marcia Young Cantarella, PhD has been a dean or senior … See more