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Andrew Young gives commencement speech at Anderson University

Andrew Young will deliver the keynote address at Anderson University


Andrew Young will give the commencement speech at Anderson University.

Young has distinguished himself as a civil rights leader, congressman, UN ambassador, and mayor of Atlanta.

The civil rights leader will deliver the keynote address at Anderson University on May 9. The university focuses on ethics, public service, and human rights.


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The program, named in his honor, will occur May 18-23, and examine principles of love, conscience, freedom, justice, perseverance, and hope.

Andrew Young, former United States ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter, will deliver the keynote address at Anderson University’s Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies.

Young worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King and is recognized as a civil and human rights champion. According to a press release, his pioneering work included helping to ensure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

Young's diverse career includes serving as a member of Congress for three terms, an ambassador to the United Nations, a two-term mayor of Atlanta, and an ordained minister. 


Additionally, he has received honorary degrees from more than 100 universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. 

In 1981, President Carter awarded Young the Congressional Medal of Freedom, according to Atlanta News First.

Young turned 93 in March.

Anderson University undergraduate students graduate at 9 a.m. on May 9, while graduate and doctoral students will have their ceremony on May 10 at 10 a.m. Both events will be held on the Alumni Lawn at Anderson University, 111 S. Main St.


Young worked closely with Rev. Martin Luther King

According to Atlanta News First, Young earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Howard University in 1951. He then earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Hartford Theological Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1955 and was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ.


Young and Ralph Abernathy were arrested and jailed for seven weeks for training students to register voters in Albany, Georgia, according to Atlanta News First.

Here are some interesting facts about Young's life, according to the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute:

  • Young worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycotts and was promoted to executive director in 1964.

  • Young was described as one of King's "most trusted advisors and confidantes."

  • Young was with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when the civil rights leader was killed in April 1968.


Higher Education Fellowship Program 

In 2024, Ambassador Young endorsed the Higher Education Fellowship Program, an initiative of Anderson University and Good for All, according to a news release.

He currently serves as chairman of the Andrew J. Young Foundation.

The Higher Education Fellowship program brings together students from universities nationwide to study and practice ethics, public service, and human rights. 


The program has been named the Ambassador Andrew Young Higher Education Fellowship Program to honor his legacy and inspire participants to embody his commitment to character, service, and human rights, according to a news release.

The Andrew Young Foundation

The Foundation is part of Young's mission to advocate for civil and human rights and provide support. It promotes education, leadership, and human rights in the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean.

These areas include public service and advocacy, which focus on empowering communities through policy and civic engagement. 

For more information about the Andrew Young Foundation, call 404-685-2786.











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