February 5, 2021
Isabella Bouvard, a senior at Bronxville High School and a Model United Nations Club member, interviewed civil rights activist and diplomat Andrew Young on January 25.
During their conversation, Young spoke about his experiences with racism and the early recognition of inequality. They also discussed his efforts with the Birmingham campaign of the early 1960s to desegregate public institutions in Alabama.
“He was particularly open-minded about this topic [of racism] When he talked about Birmingham, the frustration it had caused him all his life, “said Bouvard.” This was mentioned not only on a personal level, but geographically with housing injustice and general opinion. ”
Young described the blatant discrimination that existed economically across Birmingham and discussed how he made change through diplomacy and engaging the business community. He also shared how his ideology of nonviolence was strategized by boycotting companies. Bouvard said she was impressed with the way Young spoke calmly and carefully described the situation.
“Young’s comment on the current economy was absolutely impressive,” said Bouvard. “There is a cost, physical or not, to not treating people fairly.”
During her interview, Bouvard also asked Young to reflect on current events, including the election of President Joe Biden and the U.S. Capitol uprising. When asked if he would like to give advice to young people, he remarked that one should go their own way to find their purpose in life. When it comes to facilitating communication and collaboration abroad from the United Nations perspective, Young provided an old-fashioned motto.
“You have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak,” he said. “You can convince more people by listening to them and asking questions than by telling them what to do.”
Born in 1932, Young was an early civil rights leader and a close confidante of Martin Luther King Jr. He was the executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a US Congressman from Georgia, United Nations Ambassador and Mayor of Atlanta. Since leaving office, Young has founded and served in a number of organizations dealing with public policy and political lobbying.
This news release was prepared by the Bronxville Union Free School District. The views expressed are those of the author.
Comments are closed.