The City Transport System of Atlanta Names a Bus in honor of Ambassador Andrew Young

In his remarks on the importance of this moment, Mayor Andre Dickens said, “I was sixteen years old and was watching Ambassador Young on television opening the Olympic Games in Atlanta. That event had a lasting effect on me. It was a cool look, bringing this international event to our city, and he was at the podium talking that good talk, and I was mesmerized by what I was seeing; this was impactful on both me and the city of Atlanta, and that’s when I said to myself, That’s what I want to do, to be the mayor of Atlanta.” Without a doubt, he was my inspiration in showing what the city could be. I studied at Georgia Tech and later at Georgia State and got an MPA from the Andrew Young School of Business. Looking at Ambassador Young, Mayor Dickens said, “You’ve been woven into the fabric of my life’s journey, and I’ve been following your trail over many years. Mayor Dickens said, “The ambassador’s commitment to justice, service, and his compassion in bringing a voice to the voiceless shows the character of whom he truly is. This bus will be a source of inspiration to the next generation and will inspire them to pursue higher service and greater roles in our community. They would be inspired to aspire to higher levels of greatness and would be able to achieve anything they set their minds to. The mayor further thanked MARTA and the designers of the artwork on the bus, who were able to capture the beautiful imagery that captured the historical moments of the Ambassador’s journey that embodied the buses.”

Mayor Bill Campbell said to the Ambassador, “It’s not just the nation, but the world owes you for your work, diplomacy, and humanitarian effort that you have dedicated to the less fortunate. It’s a great honor for me to be able to call you my dear friend and to acknowledge that this is a well-deserved honor.”

Mayor Kasim Reed made reference to a conversation he had with Ambassador Young while on a trip to Washington. He said, “Ambassador Young told me, when things get tough, you have to put your head down, do your work, and before you know it, you just might change the world. I am here at this unveiling because we just can’t stop praising Andrew Young. He showed us how to do it; for that, the greatest thing that we can give to him is to be there for him. He showed us how to love a woman by the way he loved his wife, Carolyn; he further showed us how to be a father by the way that he mentored his children. We have to thank his family for loaning him to us.”

Carolyn Young, the wife of Ambassador Young, said, “It was such a heartwarming event to see all six of the previous mayors in attendance to support Andy. It’s been a while since we had an occasion where all six of the previous mayors of the city were in attendance at the same event. Seeing this gave me a feeling of warmth in knowing that Andy had the support of these individuals, and that made the event even more special. The city of Atlanta has shown so much love and respect to Andy over the years and continues to remember him as the journey of the city progresses. In the naming of the bus and the images that they adorned it with, it was not just showing respect to Andy; they were also honoring the memory of the people who were in the civil rights journey and doing it in such a powerful way. It is such a wonderful expression of appreciation of the voices of the struggle for their place in American society. MARTA is showing respect to a people and its journey. It is a remarkable sign of appreciation and love coming from the city of Atlanta.”

When asked about his feelings on being honored with the naming of the MARTA bus in his honor, Ambassador Young said, “This event brought back memories, but it should also be a marker to us-all of the two years of work that it took to get the MARTA request bill passed. Initially, people were very suspicious of MARTA, but in its vision, this was one of the pillars in the making of modern Atlanta. The ability to move people around the city brought more flexibility to the economic growth and potential of the city. This was in 1971, and the airport was not there as yet; it did not come until the 80s. When asked how he felt about the naming of the bus in his honor, Ambassador Young said, “These things bring a sentimental feeling in me. Not just this event, but also the street that was named after me and the plane that Delta also named in my honor. But it’s also about the ones who walked in the struggle but did not live to see the achievements. Andrew Young International Boulevard really gets me emotional, but it’s the memory of where we were and the light that we were shining ahead. We wanted to make this little city an international beacon, and the name of the street has that intent, and the journey embedded in it. In all of this, I am just proud of what the city of Atlanta has become; it was a journey well worth the while.”

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