Jacqueline Eurn Hai Young was an American politician and civil rights activist. Young was born in Honolulu, Hawaii Territory. She was a third generation American of Korean descent. She was a lifelong feminist and advocate for projects and issues that inspire social change and healthy communities. She was a legislator in the Hawai’i House of Representatives from 1990 to 1994, and was its first woman Vice-Speaker. Young later became Director of the Hawai’i Office of Affirmative Action, Campaign Manager for Protect Our Constitution, and Chief Staff Officer for the American Cancer Society. She continuously maintained her political and civic involvement, and served on many governmental and non-governmental boards and commissions, including the . She was an educator, serving 10 years as an adjunct professor, and an invited speaker to international, national and local conferences as a speaker or panelist, on social justice and political issues. She also produced, appeared on and narrated a six part television series called “Sound Off”, and appeared and narrated 125 half hour broadcasts on . At the time of her death, she was Chair of the and was on the board of the Hawaii American Civil Liberties Union.
Early Life and Career
Young was born and raised on Oahu, Hawai'i. She attended Punahou School in Honolulu and graduated in 1952. She then attended the University of Hawai’i where she met her former husband, whom she married in 1954. While raising her children and traveling the world with her then-husband, she completed her education and embarked on a career as a speech pathologist, working with disabled and multiply handicapped children. After returning to Hawai’i in 1977, she joined the Hawai’i Department of Education in the special education department. In 1985, she moved into gender equity issues and took a Sex Equity position at the Superintendent’s office; her work involved implementation of Title IX and achieving equality in education for girls in the public schools. Young was inspired by this work to engage in politics. She was elected Chair of the Hawai’i Women’s Political Caucus in 1987, then became First Vice President of the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1989. In 1990, she won a seat in the Hawai’i House of Representatives, representing a Windward area district. In her second term, she was elected Vice-speaker, and became the first woman to hold that position. Among her accomplishments while serving in the legislature, was the founding of a domestic violence shelter, the Hale Ola Windward Abuse Shelter. She was instrumental in protecting Mt. Olomana from development, and is known for taking an early stand against a discriminatory ban on same sex marriage. She also worked toward legislative reform, public transparency and non-discrimination policies. She championed issues related to Native Hawai’ians, the environment and crimes against women. She was later recruited to be Campaign Manager of the nation’s first marriage equality campaign, Protect Our Constitution, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, from 1997-1998. She created a then unprecedented coalition supporting the civil rights of same sex couples to marry, including the League of Women Voters, Japanese American Citizens League, NAACP, Native Hawaiian UH Faculty and ACLU. She ran the campaign while undergoing breast cancer treatment, which motivated her to later become involved in the fight against cancer. She took a position with the American Cancer Society Hawai‘i Pacific in 1999, then became a chief executive. She retired in 2013 as its chief staff officer. She also served twice on the federal Defense Advisory Commission on Women in the Services at the equivalent rank of a military general; taught for decades at Hawai’i Pacific University; and was producer and host of the Olelo TV show “Sound Off.”
Awards
Jackie Young received numerous awards from many organizations, such as the National Education Association, ACLU, Hawaii Women Lawyers, The Korean-American Foundation of Hawai’i, and the YWCA. She received the President’s Award from the Union Institute and the Fellow of the Pacific Award from Hawaii Pacific University. In 2014, Punahou School’s Alumni Association presented her with the Judd Award for Humanitarian Service. In 2016 she was named a Distinguished Alumni by the University of Hawaii.
Education
She graduated from Punahou School in 1952, and returned to school while raising four children to receive her bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Hawaii in 1969. She received her master's degree in Education and Speech Pathology from Old Dominion University in 1982, and her doctorate degree in Communication and Women's Studies from Union Institute & University, in 1989. Young died at St. Francis Hospice, in Honolulu, Hawaii, after suffering a severe stroke. She is survived by four children and three grandchildren.
