On this day in 1976

Dec. 16, 1976

Andy Young with Martin Luther King Jr. on a people to people speaking tour in 1966. Credit: Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford University

President Jimmy Carter nominated Andrew Young to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations — the first Black American to serve in the position. 

Born in New Orleans, Young became a pastor in Thomasville, Georgia, where he became involved in civil rights, helping register Black voters. In 1961, he left the pulpit to work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, joining Septima Clark in the work of teaching literacy and leadership skills in Citizenship Schools. 

He became such a trusted aide to Martin Luther King Jr. that he helped draft two of the most important civil rights bills — the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was present when King was assassinated in Memphis and later said, “It is a blessing to die for a cause, because you can so easily die for nothing.” 

He served as executive vice president of SCLC before successfully running for Congress in Georgia. After his work as U.N. ambassador, he returned to Atlanta and became the city’s mayor in 1981. That same year, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is co-founder of GoodWorks International, which seeks to improve conditions in Africa and the Caribbean.

The post On this day in 1976 appeared first on Mississippi Today.