Learn More: Whitney Young Room & Margaret Buckner Young Nursery

Whitney Young was known as “The Powerbroker of the Civil Rights Movement."

Young moved to Omaha in 1950, where he led the Urban League of Nebraska, focusing on concerns around housing and integration. He worked closely with prominent Omaha realtor, NP “Phil” Dodge (also a member of First Unitarian) in passing Omaha’s first open housing ordinance.

Whitney Young often attended Black churches in the area as part of his Urban League efforts, so it was his wife, Margaret Buckner Young, who was most often seen at church on Sundays. Margaret taught Sunday School which their daughter, Marcia, attended.

Mr. Young’s groundbreaking achievements in Omaha were critical in creating opportunities for the Black community and raising awareness about discrimination and racism.

After Omaha, the Young family moved to Atlanta and then to New Rochelle, New York. Mr. Young worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King and later with President Lyndon B. Johnson on creating his War on Poverty agenda.

While in Atlanta, Mrs. Young was a professor of educational psychology at Spelman College. Upon their move to New York, Mrs. Young concentrated on her daughters and writing, publishing articles including several children's books including The First Book of American Negroes (1966), and The Picture Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1967).

Mr. Young died in 1971 at just 49 of an accidental drowning. Mrs. Young continued to be involved in the National Urban League and supported many efforts that commemorated her husband’s legacy until her passing in 2009.

Sources: Pillars & Dreams: A History of First Unitarian Church of Omaha by Dave Richardson; Columbia University Library; Harvard Square Library

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