Tickets available now!
Ambassador Andrew Young, Jr.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
7:00 p.m. in Loretta Spencer Hall
Member Tickets: $35 | Non-member Tickets: $55
Member tickets available January 3 | Non-member tickets available January 31
Abbreviated Biography:
Andrew Young, Jr. was an activist for the Civil Rights Movement. He became a member of Congress, mayor of Atlanta and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Working as a pastor in Georgia, Young first became part of the Civil Rights Movement when he organized voter registration drives. In 1964, Young became the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLC) executive director and helped draw up the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was with Dr. King in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, the day of King’s assassination. Following King’s death, Young became executive vice president of the SCLC.
In 1970, Young left the SCLC to make a run for Congress, but was defeated at the polls. Two years later, he ran again, and this time was elected to the House of Representatives. Young was the first African American to represent Georgia in Congress since Reconstruction. In his time as a legislator, he supported programs for the poor, educational initiatives and human rights.
During Jimmy Carter’s run for the presidency, Young offered key political support; when Carter was in office, he chose Young to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Young left his seat in Congress to take the position. While Ambassador, he advocated for human rights on a global scale, such as sanctions to oppose rule by apartheid in South Africa.
Young was elected as Atlanta’s mayor in 1981. After two terms as mayor, he failed in his attempt to secure the Democratic nomination to run for governor of Georgia. However, Young was successful in his campaign for Atlanta to host the Olympic Games in 1996.
Find more information about the event here: hsvmuseum.org/ambassador-andrew-young-jr-february-14-2019/