Black-tie gala will honor Atlanta icon Andrew Young

The event, the organization’s second annual “Legends of Atlanta” gala, will raise money for medical research at National Jewish Health, which provides treatment and research for respiratory and immune-related illnesses.

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Last year, art collector and curator Fay Gold was honored.

“This year, we have the honor of celebrating Ambassador Young and his long years of service and impact on the lives of so many,” said Dr. Michael Salem, president and CEO of National Jewish Health. “It’s a privilege to highlight someone whose leadership and heart have touched every corner of society — from diplomacy to civil rights.”

Young called the honor “a divine incident.”

Last week at a private party leading up to the gala, Young retold his story of growing up in New Orleans in the 1930s, “about 50 yards from the headquarters of the Nazi Party,” marking the diversity of the neighborhood where the Youngs were among the few Blacks. His father, Andrew Young Sr., a dentist, had many patients who were Jewish.

“We never passed a day without talking about what was going on in the world,” said Young, adding that in 1936, his father took him to the movies to see newsreels of Jesse Owens compete in the Berlin Olympics, where he challenged Adolf Hitler’s Aryan supremacy theory by winning four gold medals.

Amanda Brown Olmstead, one of the organizers of the event, said each of the city’s living mayors — Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Andre Dickens — is expected to attend and share a table.

The gala, co-chaired by Billye Aaron, Paul Hagedorn and Billy Payne, will spotlight Young’s seven-decade career — from his work alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to becoming the first Black U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to his two terms as mayor of Atlanta and his pivotal role in bringing the 1996 Olympic Games to the city.

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

“No one, other than my father, has impacted my life more than Andy Young,” said Payne, the former CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. Payne worked closely with Young, who was Atlanta’s mayor at the time, to bring the 1996 Olympics to the city. “Our improbable 10-year journey together in bidding for, planning, and hosting the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games would not have happened without Andy Young. I am proud and honored to call him my friend.”

Olmstead said that aside from speeches, there will be live performances and a tour of a special exhibit titled “The Many Lives of Andrew Young,” based on a 2022 book on Young by the same name.

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

The book chronicles Young’s life from a boy in New Orleans in the 1930s to his quiet life now as the founder of the Andrew J. Young Foundation, his global advocacy organization.

“Ambassador Young’s story is the story of Atlanta,” Olmstead said. “He reflects our city’s resilience, progress and humanity. This gala is a moment to say thank you.”

Olmstead said tickets are still available at $500 each.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ernie Suggs is the author of the book “The Many Lives of Andrew Young.”

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