In a moment that fused Atlanta’s past, present and future, five of the city’s mayors came together to honor the man who helped shape their path — Ambassador Andrew Young.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
From Bill Campbell to Andre Dickens, each of them shared the legacy of a leader whose influence extended far beyond City Hall.
“A foundation that has a foundation — that’s what Andrew Young has built,” current mayor Dickens said at an event inside the Woodruff Arts Center, where National Jewish Health honored the former Atlanta mayor with its Humanitarian Award at its annual Legends of Atlanta gala, aptly themed “Forever Young.”
By the end of the three-hour dinner, Young — dressed in a black tuxedo with a Kente cloth vest — sat center stage, flanked by Campbell, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Dickens, in a historic tableau that celebrated not just a man, but a movement.
“He stands among the great architects of America,” said Campbell, placing Young in a lineage stretching from America‘s Founding Fathers to civil rights leaders like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Joseph Lowery and the Rev. C.T. Vivian. “And for that, we are eternally grateful.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The gala — co-chaired by Hank Aaron’s widow and retired journalist Billye Aaron, philanthropist Paul Hagedorn and former chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club Billy Payne — raised funds for National Jewish Health, an organization dedicated to treating respiratory and immune-related illnesses. Speakers throughout the evening also talked about the medical and research work the organization is doing, with several people offering personal testimonies about how the hospital saved their lives.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
But the night also held a mirror to Atlanta’s civil rights and political legacies — and to the man who helped write its most defining chapters.
“It brings great honor to be able to recognize an individual like the ambassador,” said Mark Krause, associate vice president of National Jewish Health. “For 125 years, we’ve been committed to saving the world through charity, helping the underprivileged and restoring health. That’s what we’re all about — and he embodies all of that.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The black-tie affair, emceed by former WSB-TV anchor Monica Pearson, drew a crowd of about 300, including former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes; King Center CEO Bernice King; former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond; Clark Atlanta University President George T. French Jr.; and former Atlanta first lady Valerie Jackson.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The Trey Clegg Singers, an Atlanta-based multicultural chorus, sang spirituals and a moving rendition of Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young.” Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp offered video tributes.
“This is a special night,” Kemp said. “No one in Georgia has dedicated more of his life to public service — and to uplifting everyone — than Andrew Young.”
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, also appearing via video, called Young “a true titan, a mentor, a friend, an inspiration.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
But the moment — and the message — belonged to Young, who was joined by his wife Carolyn, daughter Andrea, and several grandchildren.
“Throughout my life, I’ve had people try to take things from me — my health, my dignity, my peace,” Young said. “But I’ve learned: you must keep going.”
At 93, Young shows no signs of stopping. Throughout the evening, speakers invoked the milestones of his extraordinary life: serving as a top aide to Dr. King; becoming one of the first Black congressmen from the South since Reconstruction; being appointed the first Black U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; serving two terms as Atlanta mayor; and playing a pivotal role in bringing the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Payne, who worked with Young on the Olympics as CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, said Young, aside from his father, “is the greatest man I have ever known.”
Franklin, who served as Young’s chief of staff during his tenure as mayor, admitted she was skeptical that Atlanta could beat out Athens, Greece, to host the Centennial Olympic Games — until Young changed her mind.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
“You stretched my imagination,” Franklin said to Young about his quiet force and expansive vision. “You showed us all what it means to have a big heart and vivid dreams.”
Later, Young found himself once again surrounded — this time by members of the Trey Clegg Singers, many of them eager to shake his hand or take a photo. He greeted every one of them while saxophonist Will Scruggs and his band played joyful New Orleans-style music in a nod to Young’s Louisiana roots.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Earlier, in a reflective moment, Young said he eagerly accepted the award not for himself but to express gratitude.
“I wanted to say thank you to the many people all over the world who share the dreams that we share, who know the problems that we live — and who know that the solution is in the hands of Almighty God,” Young said. “We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. God has blessed us.”
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