Huntsville, Ala. – The Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA) is excited to announce that civil rights activist, former Mayor of Atlanta, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young, Jr., will be the next speaker in the annual Voices of Our Times series on Thursday, February 14.

Andrew J. Young heard the call to service as a young man and has lived his life in response to that call, from his ordination as a minister, to his work on behalf of civil and human rights, to his public service career as a member of Congress, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta. He now runs the Andrew Young Foundation which builds on his legacy by developing and nurturing new generations of innovative leaders to tackle this era’s global challenges.

“I’m looking forward to my upcoming trip to Huntsville, and am pleased to be speaking at an important institution like the Huntsville Museum of Art,” commented Young.  “Human rights impact everyone and I enjoy being able to interact with and discuss these challenges with engaged audiences.”

Voices of Our Times is an annual speaker series that brings people of note in the arts, academia, design, publishing, politics, sports and more to the Huntsville Museum of Art for candid, in-depth discussions and presentations.  Museum Executive Director Christopher J. Madkour established the Voices series a few months after his arrival in 2011 and it has since become a signature program at HMA with noted speakers including: Gloria Vanderbilt, Ali MacGraw, David Sanger, Carl Bernstein and Paul Finebaum to name a few.

The upcoming presentation will be an interview format, with Ambassador Young being interviewed by Jim Ralph, the Rehnquist Professor of American History and Culture at Middlebury College, VT.  Ralph specializes in the Civil Rights Movement and is the author of Northern Protest: Martin Luther King, Jr., Chicago, and the Civil Rights Movement (Harvard University Press, 1993), and is a co-editor of, and contributor to, The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Activism in the North (University Press of Kentucky, 2016).

“Ambassador Andrew Young has lived an extraordinary life,” said Ralph.  “He was a decisive leader in the modern civil rights movement that reshaped America and the world.  And for the past fifty years he has built on that experience in many arenas to advance social justice and equality.”

Bringing well-known personalities from different areas of interest would not be possible without the continuous support and generosity of Museum members and community partners.

“It is a great honor and privilege to be the Lead Sponsor helping to bring Ambassador Young, a man who has contributed so much not only to the civil rights movement in America but, throughout the world, to the Huntsville Museum of Art,” remarked Frank Williams of Landers McLarty.

Ambassador Young’s presentation will include a talk, book signing and wine reception at 7 p.m. in Loretta Spencer Hall inside the Museum.  Tickets are now available only to Museum members and will open to non-members on January 31st.  Seating is limited.  For more information about the Voices of Our Times series and to purchase tickets, visit hsvmuseum.org or call 256-535-4350.

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 About the Huntsville Museum of Art

The Huntsville Museum of Art is a non-profit municipal corporation established by the City of Huntsville, Alabama, and governed by a city-appointed Museum Board.  The Museum seeks to foster understanding of the visual arts and appreciation of artistic achievement.  In addition to its galleries and exhibitions, the Museum offers art classes for children and adults along with special programs, lectures and musical presentations.  Rental space is also available for weddings, meetings and other events. The views and opinions expressed by Voices of Our Times speakers do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Huntsville Museum of Art or its sponsors.

Voices of Our Times Series Sponsors: Alabama Media Group, Colonial Printing and Packaging, Donny’s Diamond Gallery, and PNC.

Sponsors for Ambassador Young’s event:

Co-Lead Sponsors – Pat and Gene Sapp; Mary and Frank Williams

Event Sponsors – Minority Leader Anthony Daniels of the Alabama House of Representatives; Progress Bank; Alabama A&M; Nancy and Richard Crunkleton; Kathleen and Phil Dotts; Virginia and Parker Griffith; Guild Lecture Endowment; Frances Huffman; Shelbie King; Ginney and Foster McDonald; Oakwood University; Lana and Joe Ritch; Ina and Garrett Smith

Additional Support – Virginia Rice