Did Andrew Young meet Martin Luther King? What we know about the civil rights leader honoring Jimmy Carter

Andrew Young, a diplomat, civil rights activist, and a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations under former President Jimmy Carter, was called to speak at the state funeral of Jimmy Carter about his relationship with the former president.

Ambassador Andrew Young, a prominent leader in the civil rights movement, reflected on Jimmy Carter's deep connection with the black community and his efforts to champion their rights. He praised Carter's 'sensitivity and spirituality,' qualities he believed elevated him to the status of a remarkable president.

"James Earl Carter was truly a child of God," Young remarked.

Andrew Young first met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 at an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity event at Talladega College in Alabama.

A civil rights leader, diplomat, and politician he is. Young was a key ally of Martin Luther King Jr. and played a central role in such pivotal civil rights campaigns as the Selma marches and the Birmingham Campaign. He was the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. He focused on urban development and racial equality as Mayor of Atlanta from 1982 to 1990.

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Relationship between Andrew Young and Martin Luther King?

In his memoir 'An Easy Burden (1996)', Andrew Young said that he first met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 when they both spoke at an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity event at Talladega College in Alabama.

Following the event, King invited Andrew Young to visit him in Montgomery, where they discussed various topics, including King's recent experiences as a new father. In his bio on the Standford University website, Young said:

“He was mostly interested in talking about Yoki, his and Coretta’s new baby … and he didn’t feel like acting out the role of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Inspired by the student-led civil rights demonstrations in Nashville in 1960, Andrew Young considered moving to the South to manage the Highlander Folk School’s Citizenship Training Program.

He sought Martin Luther King Jr.’s guidance, who praised the program but warned of its uncertain future due to legal challenges from Tennessee authorities. Despite the warning, Young accepted the role, but the school was shut down before he and his wife, Jean, could relocate.

The program was transferred to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) headquarters in Atlanta, with citizenship schools later hosted at facilities in Dorchester, Georgia, renovated by the United Church of Christ. Young assumed leadership of the program, which became a cornerstone of the SCLC’s work.

By 1963, Young played a pivotal role in negotiating the agreements that ended the Birmingham Campaign, demonstrating his skill as a mediator. The following year, after Wyatt Tee Walker’s departure, King appointed Young as the SCLC’s executive director.

Over the next few years, Young became one of King’s closest advisors, contributing to major campaigns in St. Augustine, Selma, and Chicago. Reflecting on their strategic discussions, Young noted that King valued diverse perspectives, often relying on him to present the more conservative viewpoint. “It almost always fell to my lot to express the conservative view,” Young recalled in July 1968.

Young was with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in April 1968 when King was planned to be assassinated. He remembered King’s upbeat demeanor the night before his assassination, even engaging in a playful pillow fight with Ralph Abernathy and Young.

On April 4, shortly before heading to dinner, Young heard a loud noise resembling a car backfire and looked up to see King had fallen on the balcony. At first, Young thought King was joking. 'My first thought was that he was still clowning,' he later recounted.

The loss of King left Young deeply heartbroken, marking a defining moment in his life and career, as reported on Standford's website.