Civil Rights And The National Urban League
Following his military service and while pursuing a master’s
degree in Minnesota, Whitney, Jr., became acquainted with the Urban League in St. Paul. The National Urban League, which originated in New York city in 1910 from grassroots efforts, has been a movement to “secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights” (National Urban League). For several years he worked alongside the Urban League to organize and campaign for the civil rights of African Americans, notably for employment in positions then-held only by Caucasians. |
By 1950, Whitney, Jr., served as Executive Secretary of the League’s Omaha, Nebraska, branch. He also taught social work at the University of Nebraska and Creighton University, and became Dean of the Atlanta University School of Social Work in 1954 (NASW). In 1961, he was appointed Executive Director of the National Urban League, a position he maintained until his death in 1971. The league co-sponsored the historic March on Washington to rally for racial integration.
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