Born: July 31, 1921, Lincoln Ridge, KY

Education: Kentucky State Industrial College, B.S., 1941; University of Minnesota, M.S.W., 1947

Died: March 11, 1971, Lagos, Nigeria

Young mastered the art of mediation as an army sergeant during World War II, settling disputes between black soldiers and white officers. As executive director of the National Urban League (NUL, 1961–71), he earned national recognition and respect. He lobbied employers to hire blacks, hereby increasing NUL's job placements from dozens to 40,000–50,000 annually.

Leaving as dean of Atlanta University's School of Social Work, he transformed NUL. He defined clear procedures of financial accounting, reorganized the national staff, and strengthened communication with local branches, which grew from sixty-three to ninety-eight. Skillfully involving NUL in the civil rights movement and federal social programs, he increased public and corporate funds for its educational and employment services.

Young thus became a crucial mediator. A co-sponsor of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), he proposed a “Domestic Marshall Plan” for Black America. Similarly, in 1968, he established a “New Thrust” program to dismantle riot-torn ghettos and build affordable housing. This would make education, job training, and health care accessible to the inner-city poor. Young also gained political influence as an informal adviser to presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. Official presidential advisers used his ideas in planning what became the War on Poverty.