Whitney Moore Young, Jr.
Educator and Civil Rights Advocate
(1921-1971)
"Support the strong, give courage to the timid, remind the indifferent, and warn the opposed" -Whitney M. Young, Jr.- |
A PreludeThe civil rights movement in the United States was a
significant era for African Americans.
Offically beginning in the 1950's, the civil rights movement sought to create
equality among all Americans. Often
marked with civil unrest and violence, African Americans were denied many
privileges such as the right to vote, open access to public facilities, and opportunities
in employment, housing, and education. Many
African Americans, especially in the South, experienced violence not only from
ordinary citizens, but from police officers who are sworn to protect and to
serve. Not experiencing justice from local
law enforcement and the judicial system, civil rights advocates united to form
coalitions to change existing laws and policies. Their efforts to address the daily struggles and
often inhumane treatment faced by African Americans did not go unnoticed (Civil
Rights). One prominent African American
civil rights leader in the state of Kentucky was Whitney Moore Young, Jr.
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