Churchwell to reasonable April 19 dialogue with veteran civil rights chief Andrew Younger | Vanderbilt Information

Dr. André L. Churchwell

André Churchwell, Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Justice, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, will host a discussion with veteran civil rights leader Andrew Young at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 19. The conversation will focus on the right to vote and the future of democracy.

The event is part of the University School of Nashville’s evening classes, which are open to the public. Register for the upcoming session on USN website.

A longtime civil rights activist and former Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young has served and shaped our country for more than 50 years.

Young was a close confidante of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and when he was elected to Congress in 1972, he was the first African American to be elected from the south since the reconstruction. He was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1981 and re-elected in 1985.

“Young is a leader in our country’s civil rights movement,” Churchwell said. “His experiences and background will give important insights into our past, present and future.”

In response to historic voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election, state lawmakers across the country have rolled out a wave of electoral laws that will make it harder to vote. Young helped draft the 1965 Suffrage Act and will use his remarkable life experiences to examine the landscape of democracy and the need for federal legislation to ensure that everyone retains the right to vote.