Kentucky State University honors the legacy of Whitney M. Young Jr., alumnus and civil rights activist, who would have turned 100 on July 31, 2021. Sadly, Young’s life came to a tragic end in 1971 at the age of 49. 

Young attended Kentucky State University, played sports, joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and served as president of his senior class. He graduated June 10, 1941 with a Bachelor of Science. 

After college, Young served in World War II, quickly rising in the ranks and mediating conflicts between white officers and Black soldiers. Young later earned a master’s degree in social work and began volunteering for local chapters of the National Urban League. In 1961, Young was named the executive director of the National Urban League. Under his direction, the organization grew in size and shifted focus from middle class concerns to the needs of the urban poor. 

During his tenure as executive director for the National Urban League, Young served as an essential advisor on racial matters to Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. Young proposed the Marshall Plan to President Lyndon B. Johnson, which called for $145 billion to improve education, employment and welfare for Black communities. The Marshall Plan led to the War on Poverty legislation. Johnson awarded Young with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1969. 

The Whitney Young Honors Collegium at Kentucky State University is named after Young and continues his legacy through its integrated and integrative education.