Andrew Young discusses how he came to be the executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a close confidant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. He credits his wife Jean and Martin’s wife Coretta as courageous women who were the reason for both of their success. Young recalls Malcolm X expressing his admiration for Dr. King after his Nobel Prize lecture.

Andrew Jackson Young Jr. was born March 13, 1932, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Young is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Young became active in politics, serving first as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, then United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and finally Mayor of Atlanta. Since leaving political office, Young has founded or served in a large number of organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying.

From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “King in the Wilderness” that follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life: from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, through personal stories of the people who were around him.

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Andrew Young, Executive Director, SCLC
Interviewed By: Taylor Branch
Interview Date: April 13, 2017

Chapters:
00:00 Meeting Dr. King
08:31 Decision to Work with Dr. King
22:05 Nobel Prize Lecture
36:35 Watts Riot
44:04 Chicago
01:01:52 Meredith March
01:14:53 Dr. King and Depression
01:23:54 Riverside Church Speech
01:33:07 Dr. King’s Personal Side
01:43:34 Vietnam
01:52:42 Personal Attacks
01:54:34 Dr. Kings Temperament
01:59:09 Poor People’s Campaign
02:20:08 Last Day and Dr. King’s Legacy

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