ATLANTA — It is another major milestone and big celebration for a man who helped shape the nation and the battle for civil rights.
Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young celebrated his 92nd birthday on Tuesday.
“It was a life that I knew I had to live. I’ve never considered it work. I’ve considered passing on my blessings,” Young told Channel 2′s Karyn Greer.
It’s a celebration for a man who has helped shape the city of Atlanta and the nation with nine decades of service -- and he is still going strong.
[PHOTOS: Andrew Young at 92: Here’s a look at his career through the years]
“I knew that the South, what was happening in Atlanta, was the key to reconciling the races of the nation, and also the races and nations of the world,” Young said.
Young studied Gandhi’s nonviolent concept and was the target of violence himself, including being kicked and stomped on by members of the Ku Klux Klan in St. Augustine Florida.
Coincidentally it was the same time when Congress was debating the Civil Rights Act. Young helped draft the act that passed and was signed into law.
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After his work with the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Young entered the world of politics.
In 1972, Young became the first Black congressman from Georgia since Reconstruction. Then in 1977, former President Jimmy Carter appointed Young to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations -- the first Black man to ever hold that position.
“We had an impact on the world together and I think significantly changed the world. The Panama Canal, the Camp David, Israel and Egypt coming together,” Young said.
Young said he still has more work to do, and he asks that people look at the work he has been doing at the Andrew J. Young Foundation.
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