New mural on Atlanta Beltline celebrates Andrew Young
A new mural of Andrew Young was unveiled Tuesday morning at a small, private ceremony on the Atlanta Beltline.
Young, 91, is a former top aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and later served three terms in Congress before President Jimmy Carter appointed him as U.N. ambassador — a post he filled from 1977-79. Young later served two terms as Atlanta’s mayor and was co-chairman of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
The Andrew J. Young Foundation on Tuesday posted pictures of the mural and attendees, which included former mayors Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, and Keisha Lance Bottoms. Young’s wife, Carolyn, managed to keep the project a secret for two years.
“Thanks to Atlanta and especially my wife Carolyn for the wonderful surprise of a mural in my honor on the fabulous Atlanta Beltline,” read the message posted on Young’s personal Facebook page.
Young added that “it is located in an underpass near 725 Rice Street NW and is a wonderful piece of public art that I treasure and hope will inspire young people who pass it in the future to wonder who the heck that guy was and look him up on the internet sometime. Atlanta is the most wonderful city in the world.”
Young’s likeness is now in a large mural featuring the Earth Day messaging of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” in high traffic areas on the Beltline near 758-750 Rice Street. According to Fulton County, the mural features Young because he “has been a long-term advocate for sustainability and environmental justice.”
The Fulton County Youth Commission collaborated with Fulton County Arts & Culture, the B-Aware Foundation (BAF), B.A.M Creative, Sam Flax, Global Paint, and the Atlanta Beltline to commission the mural.
“We are honored to celebrate Ambassador Young’s commitment to the city of Atlanta and his legacy of impact,” said Beltline President and CEO Clyde Higgs. “It is our privilege to provide a space on the Atlanta Beltline for powerful messages and artwork like we see with this mural.”
Michael Render, an activist and rapper known as Killer Mike, also attended the event. Three years ago, Render and Young co-founded Greenwood, the Atlanta-based digital banking service for the Black and Latino community.
Young is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. There are also two statutes in his likeness, and a street named after him — Andrew Young International Blvd NW.
The Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA is also named in his honor, as well as the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, and the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership.
About the Author
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He began covering DeKalb County Schools for The AJC in November 2020. He previously covered Baltimore County for The Baltimore Sun and education for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He interned at the Washington Post. He graduated from Louisiana State University.
