Whitney M. Young Jr.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=43988


Whitney M. Young Jr. was one of the many unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement.  He did not receive the recognition of some leaders like Dr. King or Malcolm X, but his contributions were important none the less.  Young was the Executive Director of the National Urban League.  He fought to get jobs for African Americans, and to help stop segregation in the United States.  He was an important man like every other person fighting for civil rights, but unfortunately he was not widely recognized like others.

A Walk Through Harlem

In Having Our Say, Bessie's dentist office was located at 2305 Seventh Avenue on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 135th Street.  The church was very important to Bessie and Sadie.  Their father was a pastor, so naturally, the sisters were very devout Christians.  There were many churches in Harlem including Abyssinian Baptist Church, Mount Olivet Baptist Church, and Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church. 

Racial Segregation

In Having Our Say, racial segregation was an evident topic to the sisters.  In one instance, Bessie was on a train for African-Americans, and a white man walked in, and she smarted off to the white man.  This caused a lot of trouble because if the man had not been drunk, she probably would have been lynched.  African-Americans were not allowed to be disrespectful to white people, and they had to be separate in almost all situations.  Bessie was on the train for African-Americans because she was not allowed to sit on the train for the white people.