The daughter of Eva Carter and Frank Buckner, she was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky and was educated in Aurora, Illinois and at Kentucky State Industrial College, receiving a bachelor's degree in English and French.
In 1953, the couple moved to Atlanta where she taught educational psychology at Spelman College.
In 1961, they moved to New Rochelle, New York, where she mainly concentrated on raising their two daughters; she also began her writing career.
[1][2] After her husband's death in 1971, Young became involved in promoting racial equality and in improving relations between the United States and other countries including Nigeria, Yugoslavia and China.
She also devoted herself to preserving her husband's legacy through the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Foundation, the National Urban League and other institutions.