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By Joe Giles
Council Member / Erie County, Pa.
This year, I and other committee members at the NACo Justice and Public Safety Annual Symposium were privileged to receive a “backstage” pass to some of the most momentous events of the 20th century by someone who I could have addressed as ambassador, congressman or mayor.
It was none other than the notable Andrew Young. Ambassador Young, now approaching the age of 80, has had a long and distinguished career. In 1964 he was named executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which sponsored several major peaceful protests, that helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Young, a close companion and principal lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was with him in Memphis when he was shot in 1968. Young was elected to three terms in Congress starting in 1972, the first man of color elected in Georgia since 1872.
In 1976, President Jimmy Carter appointed Young as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He was also elected mayor of Atlanta in 1981, and re-elected in 1985.Term-limited in 1989, Young fell just short of the governor’s office. He turned to another passion, bringing the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta, and was chosen as co-chair of that committee.
The keynote speaker for the awards dinner at the Justice Symposium, Young was not leaning on the usual lecturn but rather seated, regaling us as an armchair-witness to history. Commissioner John Eaves, Ph.D., Fulton County, Ga., moderated this unusual presentation while Young detailed personal memories of both their successful and unsuccessful struggles.
He shared memories of Martin Luther King; meals, meetings and experiences, many of which were humorous. Among the most fascinating in this period was King’s use of humor to counter the fear he and his team experienced during the headiest days of the civil rights movement. These stories detailed catfish dinners, rib fests and even a late night pillow fight at the Lorraine Motel, the place where King was assassinated. Young revealed these joyful memories kept him going especially after King’s death and acted as fuel in his continued fight against racism, war and poverty.
Young was in the trenches as America freed itself from the shadow of the Vietnam War. His support of presidential candidate Jimmy Carter eventually led to his appointment as ambassador to the U.N., a long journey for someone whose father wanted him in dentistry but whose passion led him to ministry.
As mayor of Atlanta, Young had the difficult task of bringing economic growth to the city while addressing its significant crime problems. He knew that the sharing of power and money was the only way to bridge the chasm between the city’s business community and the black community. He used this commitment to black and white leadership together in remaking the Atlanta Police Department; a significant step in solving the “Atlanta missing and murdered child case.”
He shared many stories about the relevance of effective early education and future criminal activity. He cited the significance of women in crime prevention and law enforcement. One-third of the Atlanta police force consisted of women when he left the office of mayor. By 1985, Young could point to a crime rate that was dropping and a city that was becoming America’s premier destination for new business starts.
His overarching theme was the necessity and effectiveness of real teamwork between all segments of the community. The 1996 summer Olympic Games in Atlanta was the culmination of his life experience and philosophies.
At the end of a two-hour presentation, Young was asked, “What can we do to be more successful in public safety?” He responded. “Every city councilman wants to be mayor, every county commissioner wants to be county chair, and every county chair wants to be governor. What you need is somebody in public life who doesn’t want to be somebody; a group of public-spirited people who are not concerned about who ‘gets the credit,’ can change the world.” |