WASHINGTON, D.C..- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) have selected Sharon Egretta Sutton, FAIA, as the 2011 recipient of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, given to an architect or architecturally oriented organization exemplifying the profession’s responsibility toward current social issues. As one of very few African-American women architects, Sutton has spent her career advocating inclusion in the planning and design profession. She will be presented with the award at the 2011 AIA National Convention in New Orleans. The award honors civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr., proponent of social change and head of the Urban League from 1961 until his death in 1971. At the 1968 AIA Annual Convention, Young challenged architects to more actively increase participation in the profession by minorities and women. Originally from Cincinnati, Sutton began her professional life as a classical musician. The idea of preserving o