Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Andrew Young International Boulevard. Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Andrew and Walter Young YCMA. Who in the world is Andrew Young??
Andrew Young was elected Atlanta Mayor in 1981 with the support of many Civil Rights Activists such as Coretta Scott King. During his tenure, he was highly acknowledged for bringing the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta.
As mayor of Atlanta, he brought in $70 billion of new private investment. He continued and expanded Maynard Jackson’s programs for including minority and female-owned businesses in all city contracts. The Mayor’s Task Force on Education established the Dream Jamboree College Fair that tripled the college scholarships given to Atlanta public school graduates. In 1985, he was involved in renovating the Atlanta Zoo, which was renamed Zoo Atlanta. Young was re-elected as Mayor in 1985 with more than 80% of the vote. Atlanta hosted the 1988 Democratic National Convention during Young’s tenure. He was prohibited by term limits from running for a third term. During his tenure, he talked about how he was “glad to be mayor of this city, where once the mayor had me thrown in jail.”
Prior to being an Atlanta Mayor, Young was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. He was the first African American to hold the position.
Andrew Young, Jr., was also a civil rights activist and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the modern civil rights movement in the United States. Young worked with various organizations early in the movement, but his civil rights work was largely done with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) where he served as an executive director and later executive vice president. Young served on the Board of Directors until 1972.
Places named after Andrew Young
- In 1999, Georgia State University in Atlanta renamed its public policy school the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies to honor Young.
- International Boulevard, near Centennial Olympic Park, was renamed Andrew Young International Boulevard, in honor of his involvement in bringing the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta.
- The Andrew Young Center for International Affairs at Morehouse College was named after Young.
- The Andrew and Walter Young YMCA, the only full-service YMCA operating in Southwest Atlanta, is named after Young and his younger brother.
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