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Element of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic Marshall Plan

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Introduction

The Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic Marshall Plan, proposed in 1965 by civil rights

pioneer Whitney M. Young Jr., aimed to address economic inequalities and provide

opportunities for African Americans. According to Weiss (2014), the Marshall Plan proposed a

national fund for job creation and economic development, reinforced civil rights and equal

opportunity laws, and incentives for businesses to locate in deprived areas. These elements

would have provided African Americans with better job security, educational opportunities, and

economic empowerment. A fair employment practices and equal opportunity would have

evaluated African Americans based on their performance, resulting in increased access to

resources, a more equal playing field in educational opportunities, and improved economic and

social conditions in urban areas. Additionally, the plan aimed at boosting education funding in

African American communities, promoting upward job mobility and economic growth. The

domestic Marshall Plan could have provided a boost to programs like Head Start, which provides

early childhood education.

In 1967, Whitney M. Young Jr. proposed the Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic Marshall

concept to address economic inequality, especially among African Americans. This concept

aimed to reduce poverty and increase opportunities for African Americans through economic and

social solutions. According to Kelly and Clark (2009), reducing discriminatory practices and

increasing access to economic possibilities were two themes explored in the research. Therefore,

if the Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic Marshall Plan had been implemented, it would have had a

profound impact on the lives of African Americans. Whitney M. Young Jr.'s proposed domestic

Marshall Plan would have aimed to combat job and housing segregation as well as other types of

de facto discrimination. These institutionalized forms of discrimination are collectively referred

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to as "structural racism," bear a significant amount of responsibility for the massive economic

opportunity gaps that African Americans continue to face (Weiss, 2014). If racist policies and

practices were eliminated, African Americans would be able to take advantage of more chances

in terms of education and employment. This plan's sub-goal was to broaden economic

opportunity for African Americans. This was achieved by establishing new incentives for

entrepreneurs in black-owned businesses, as well as by increasing the reach of existing job-

training programs.

In addition, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic Marshall Plan for African American

communities called for increased investment in areas such as education and infrastructure. Many

neighborhoods of African Americans needed investments in infrastructure like schools and

hospitals in order to close the economic opportunity gap (Kelly & Clark, 2009). The proposal

proposed for increased government funding of schools and public infrastructure in certain areas

to better equip black-owned businesses and make schools safer for black students. Adapting

current educational and vocational training programs to better serve the needs of African-

American communities was another recommendation made in the plan. Public housing and

social program funding were both proposed for expansion in Whitney M. Young Jr.'s Domestic

Marshall Plan which was developed with the express purpose of helping poor African

Americans.

According to Williams (2009), the Element of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Domestic

Marshall Plan is significant because it recognized the inequities encountered by African

Americans due to continuing institutional racism and advocated a thorough and multi-pronged

approach to resolving these issues. The Plan made an effort to level the playing field in a number

of areas, including employment, education, civil rights, healthcare, and more. Equal opportunity
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and access to meaningful employment were important goals of the Plan's proposed employment

activities and the Plan's proposed educational programs for African Americans (Weiss, 2014).

The Plan recommended economic empowerment programs to address the long-standing barriers

faced by African Americans due to racial and ethnic economic inequities which aimed to extend

access to equal and high-quality housing and healthcare for African Americans.

According to Williams (2009), civil rights components aimed to remove legal

impediments to voting and equality, including police violence, racial discrimination in the

criminal justice system, and public voting limitations. The Plan also addressed civil rights

provisions to ensure equal opportunities for African Americans. The Domestic Marshall Plan,

named after Whitney M. Young, Jr., aimed to address lingering racial disadvantages faced by

African Americans post-civil rights. Implemented, it would have provided a comprehensive

strategy to alleviate hardship and bring them closer to parity with whites (Kelly & Clark, 2009).

The Plan's scope would have prepared African Americans to confront and overcome prejudice in

various fields, including the workplace, education, healthcare, housing, civil rights, and

economic outlook. It would have provided resources for full participation in the US economy,

improved access to education and employment opportunities, and safeguarded civil liberties,

benefiting African Americans nationwide and making the United States a more egalitarian

society.

Conclusion

The situation for African-American equality in the United States would have greatly

improved if Whitney M. Young Jr.'s Domestic Marshall Plan had been implemented. Weiss

(2014) outlined that plan may have helped entire communities rise above poverty by opening

doors to higher quality education and employment opportunities. More individuals could have
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been trained, our workforce bolstered, our educational opportunities broadened, and better

employment opportunities discovered if this plan had been funded. The opportunities available to

black Americans who want to start their own enterprises would increase. African-Americans and

Caucasian Americans have drastically different economic and educational opportunities in the

United States. This was one of the primary objectives of the Domestic Marshall Plan proposed

by Whitney M. Young Jr. There were countless ways in which this idea was groundbreaking.

This may have boosted the confidence, security, and pride of African-Americans all around the

United States. Its disappearance from our nation is sad since it served as a guide for better times

ahead.
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References

Kelly, J and Clark, E. (2009). Leadership Lessons from Whitney M Young by James Kelly.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/29291289/the-leadership-lessons-from-

whitney-m-young-jr-teaching-guide

Weiss, N. J. (2014). Whitney M. Young, Jr., and the struggle for civil rights (Vol. 993). Princeton

University Press.

Williams, L. E. (2009). Whitney M. Young Jr. and Vanguard Leadership. In Servants of the

People: The 1960s Legacy of African American Leadership (pp. 99-119). New York:

Palgrave Macmillan US.