Tuesday, March 06, 2012

C  I  T  Y    O  F    A  T  L  A  N  T  A

Ambassador and former Mayor Andrew Young honored AS ATLANTA PREPARES TO CELEBRATE his 80^th Birthday

ATLANTA – Atlanta City Councilmember Michael Julian Bond and legislative colleagues issued a proclamation declaring Monday, March 5^th as Andrew Young Day at City Hall as Atlanta prepares to celebrate the former mayor’s 80^th Birthday.

“The city, the nation and the world have benefited from Andrew Young’s leadership and selflessness,” said Councilmember Michael Julian Bond. “To honor his achievements seemed very appropriate indeed.”

A surprise reception attended by numerous community and civic leaders was held prior to the proclamation presentation.

“I am greatly humbled by this incredible honor and recognition,” said Mayor Young of the City Council’s proclamation presentation. “To receive such warmth and love from the City Council is one of the finest ways I can imagine to begin the celebration of my eightieth year.”

Born on March 12, 1932, Andrew Jackson Young not only served as Mayor of Atlanta, but also as the Representative from the 5th Congressional District and United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He served as President of the National Council of Churches USA, was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and was a civil rights activist, strong supporter, senior aide and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since leaving political office in 1989, Andrew Young has founded or served in a large number of local, national and international organizations founded on public policy, political lobbying and international relations, with a special focus on Africa.

After beginning his higher education at Dillard University (Louisiana), Andrew Young transferred to Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1947, and received his Bachelor of Science in pre-dentistry degree there in 1951. He originally had planned to follow his father's career of dentistry, but then felt a religious calling. He entered the Turner-Boatright Christian ministry school and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1955.

In 1972, Andrew Young was elected to the U.S. Congress and re-elected in 1974.

In 1977, former President Jimmy Carter appointed Mr. Young to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.  Ambassador Young became the first African-American to serve in that position.

In 1981, after being urged by a number of residents and supporters, including the late Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young ran for Mayor of Atlanta. He was elected later that year with 55% of the vote, succeeding the late Mayor Maynard H. Jackson.

Young was re-elected as Mayor of Atlanta in 1985 with more than 80% of the vote.