Andrew Young
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Andrew Young is a prominent civil rights leader and former UN ambassador who played a crucial role in the movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This interview reveals his deep commitment to fostering dialogue and coalition-building in a politically turbulent environment.
“No, first thing I said was damn, you can't go to heaven and leave us in hell. And then I realized that it was too late that the bullet was surgically accurate. It set his spinal cord. So he probably didn't even hear it or feel it. It was like The prophet in the Old Testament that went to heaven on a flame and chariot.”
“No, in fact, that was one of the revelations from my wife. I wanted her, you know, I was right after the Second World War and Reinhold Never talked about negotiation from a position of strength. So I said to Gene, you go talk to these people, but you sit in the window with the rifle and pointed at whoever it is comes to this house.”
“I mean, he would talk about all the embarrassing things he could think of that you might be guilty of or accused of. And so he made us laugh at death as he was laughing at his death. But that didn't take away from. And as long as I knew him, I mean, when we started going to Birmingham in 1963, that was the first thing everybody said.”
“And she said, No, you have to stop and think it's true. And we finally decided we'd go directly to the mayor. And I learned one of my most important lessons. The mayor was not, he ran the hardware store, but he picked up the phone and he called flowers bakery and Sunnyland Packing Company, the two largest employers.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 474 — Amb. Andrew Young
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