Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum was the birthplace and childhood home of Whitney M. Young, Jr.
, an American civil rights
leader. The simple wooden house in Shelby County, Kentucky
, near Louisville
, is on the campus of the former Lincoln Institute, an all-black high school that Young attended and Young's father led.
Young was born in the house in 1921 and lived there through his high school years. After Young's death in 1971, the house was dedicated as shrine to his memory. Today, numerous photographs, articles, and other items related to Young and the Lincoln Institute are on display inside the house.
The house appears on the National Register of Historic Places
and was designated as a National Historic Landmark
in 1984.
Whitney Young
Whitney Moore Young Jr. was an American civil rights leader.He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access to...
, an American civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leader. The simple wooden house in Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 42,074. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Its county seat is Shelbyville...
, near Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, is on the campus of the former Lincoln Institute, an all-black high school that Young attended and Young's father led.
Young was born in the house in 1921 and lived there through his high school years. After Young's death in 1971, the house was dedicated as shrine to his memory. Today, numerous photographs, articles, and other items related to Young and the Lincoln Institute are on display inside the house.
The house appears on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was designated as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1984.