Whitney
M. Young, Jr., was born in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky, on July 31, 1921. Both of Young’s parents, Whitney, Sr., and
Laura, were influential in their community.
Whitney, Sr., was the president of the Lincoln Institute and served as
president of the Kentucky Negro Educational Association, and Laura was a
teacher and the first African American postmistress in the state of
Kentucky. Young’s parents had three
children—two daughters and a son.
Whitney, Jr., their son, was the middle child. The parents were well-revered, and they
insisted on instilling character and values to their children despite a time of
social unrest and inequality experienced by African Americans (Nittle). After graduating valedictorian from the
Lincoln Institute, Whitney, Jr., attended the Kentucky State Industrial College
(now Kentucky State University), in Frankfort, Kentucky, where he graduated in
1941.
Whitney, Jr., enlisted in the military during WWII. While in the Army, he was trained in engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It was while serving in the military that Whitney, Jr., gained a passion for race relations. As First Sargent, he often mediated racial conflicts between African American soldiers and southern Caucasian officers (Warren).