In partnership with ITVS and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, WTTW invites you to attend a free screening and discussion about the new Independent Lens documentary The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights!

Whitney M. Young, Jr. was one of the most celebrated – and controversial – leaders of the civil rights era. This new documentary follows his journey from segregated Kentucky to head of the National Urban League. Unique among black leaders, he took the fight directly to the powerful white elite, gaining allies in business and government, including three presidents. Young had the difficult tasks of calming the fears of white allies, relieving the doubts of fellow civil rights leaders, and responding to attacks from the militant Black Power movement.

This is a free event.

The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights airs on WTTW11 on February 18 at 9:00 pm. 

Photo: John F. Kennedy, Whitney Young, and Henry Steeger in the Oval Office (Credit: John F. Kennedy Library)