The MLK Council of Elders
Dr. Andrew Young
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Dr. Andrew J. Young, Jr. a civil rights advocate, former U.S. congress, mayor, and the United States’ first African American ambassador to the United Nations. He was a disciple and close associate of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He became executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1964. After Dr. King's assassination in 1968, Andrew Young entered politics, and from 1973-77 served as a U.S. representative from Georgia. In 1976 he was a leading supporter of Georgia's former governor Jimmy Carter in the latter's successful bid for the presidency. As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1977-79), Mr. Young promoted understanding between the U.S. and the nations of black Africa. He was elected as Mayor of Atlanta from 1982 to 1989. He ran unsuccessfully for the Georgia governorship in 1990.
Andrew Young has received many honors. He is the namesake of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. International Boulevard has been re-named Andrew Young International Boulevard in honor of his efforts to secure the Olympic bid for Atlanta. Andrew Young was appointed to serve as pastor of a church in Marion, Alabama. It was there in Marion that he began to study the writings of Mohandas Gandhi and became interested in Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance as a tactic for social change. He encouraged African Americans to register to vote in Alabama, and sometimes faced death threats while doing so. He became a friend and ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at that time. In 1957, Mr. Young moved to New York City to accept a job with the National Council of Churches. However, as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, Mr. Young decided that his place was back in the South. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia and again worked on drives to register black voters. In 1960 he joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was jailed for his participation in civil rights demonstrations, both in Selma, Alabama, and in St. Augustine, Florida. Mr. Young played a key role in the events in Birmingham, Alabama, serving as a mediator between the white and black communities. In 1964 Mr. Young was named Executive Director of the SCLC, becoming, in that capacity, one of Dr. King's principal lieutenants. He was with Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee when Dr. King was assassinated in 1968.
In 1977 President Jimmy Card appointed Andrew Young as Ambassador to the U.N. His controversial statements made headlines almost from the start. His greatest contribution was helping end segregation in Zimbabwe, Rhodesia. He also improved U.S. relations with Nigeria. He was criticized for many of his statements, such as his suggestion that Cuban troops brought stability to Angola. He continues his exemplary humanitarian work today.
