WASHINGTON (AP) — A new PBS documentary is shining a light on a civil rights leader some say has been overshadowed by such icons as Martin Luther King Jr.

Airing on public television during Black History Month, "The Powerbroker: Whitney Young's Fight for Civil Rights" explores the life and legacy of Whitney M. Young Jr.

Those who knew Young or studied his career say his ability to penetrate white-dominated corporate boardrooms and the Oval Office over three administrations was critical to the civil rights movement.

By working within the system, Young drew criticism from those who wanted a more aggressive path to racial equality.

One of Young's biographers, Vanderbilt University history professor Dennis Dickerson, says Young's role in the civil rights movement should not be diminished.