Photo credits: National Archives & Records Administration/NAACP

Andrew Young (pictured) is a Black American politician, diplomat, and activist.

Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a close confidant to the legendary icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Young later became active in politics, serving as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, and 55th Mayor of Atlanta.

On November 18, 1978, the NAACP presented Young with the Spingarm Medal for his great works as a global ambassador. His diplomatic efforts were extended to Africa and he played a key role in raising American awareness about the Motherland.

Since leaving political office, Young has founded or served in many organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying.

A portion of of this page’s content was sourced from a Wikipedia article. The contents are publicly available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

*BlackThen.com writer and historian Victor Trammell edited and contributed to this report.