Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Foundation records, 1971-1991
Collection context
- Creator:
- Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Foundation
- Extent:
- 38 linear feet 99 boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, financial records, photographs, memorabilia, and printed materials. The Foundation's correspondence files consist of letters from different organizations and foundations, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change, The NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the YWCA. Also included in this collection are community dialogues on race relations (1974-1975); proposed dialogues (1979) on such subjects as the Boy Scouts of America, Columbia University, and the National Council of Christians and Jews; and files on the Whitney M. Young Fellows Retreat Conferences (1980-1984). The collection contains many files on Ed Wilson's bust of Young (1991), including contracts and agreements, records of payments to Wilson, documents concerning the bust's placement in various locations, correspondence with Wilson (1983-1991), and miscellaneous photographs and pictures. The contributions files contain annual listings of contributions and records of contributions from the National Urban League, assorted organizations, corporations, individuals, foundations, and Philip Morris.
Also included are files of Margaret B. Young: speeches by Mrs Young, articles, awards, and records of her trips abroad, and public events (UN, UNESCO, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Metropolitan Museum of Art). In addition, the collection contains transcriptions of interviews with Dorothy Height, Ann Tanneyhill, and Frankie Adams.
- Biographical / historical:
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The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Foundation provided educational fellowships, scholarships, and professional development opportunities for young Black leaders in social work and business from 1971 until 1990. The Foundation offered direct educational support through fellowships and also issued grants to educational and other nonprofit institutions. These included a distinguished lectureship at Columbia University, a Whitney Young Leadership Award at the National Urban League, and the Whitney M. YOUNG Scholars Program at the Lincoln Foundation in Kentucky. The Foundation also endowed a Whitney M. Young, Jr. professorial chair, annual conference, and lecture series at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Foundation was founded, chaired, and directed by Margaret Buckner Young (1921-2009). Young was a former professor of educational psychology at Spelman College, a historically Black women's college in Atlanta, Georgia, and a writer of children's books about the African American experience. In addition to leading the Foundation, she also served on the boards of several large nonprofit organizations--including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Girl Scouts of the USA--and corporate boards including the New York Life Insurance Company. Young was the widow of civil rights movement leader and National Urban League director Whitney M. Young, Jr. The Foundation dissolved when Margaret B. Young retired in 1990.
The Foundation was created in memory of Whitney M. Young, Jr. (1921-1971), a social work educator, civil rights movement leader, and Executive Director of the National Urban League from 1961 until his death in 1971. As executive director, he expanded the size and mission of the organization and worked to end employment discrimination in government and private industry. He advised Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the latter in 1969.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The following boxes are located off-site: Boxes 2-99. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
- Terms of access:
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Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Foundation records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu