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Interview with Ambassador Andrew Young, Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and Civil Rights Leader The interview was published in Japanese in the Seikyo Shimbun, a daily newspaper of the Soka Gakkai in Japan, 11 May 2021.

In this installment of “My Culture of Peace III,” we interviewed Ambassador Andrew Young, the first African-American ambassador to the United Nations. Together with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he led the American Civil Rights Movement and fought against racism. He later became active in politics and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as mayor of Atlanta. In the interview Ambassador Young discusses the spirit of nonviolence and the key to overcoming social divisions.

There are various social divisions in the world today, not to mention, racial discrimination being one of them. What do you think are the underlying causes of these problems? I think it’s the fear that comes from not knowing the other person. And this fear comes from differences between people. People feel safe with those in their group, but they are most likely to feel insecure with those who aren’t. I have four children, and when my youngest daughter was just three years old, she crawled on my lap and said, “Daddy, me and you are brown. We are not Ambassador Andrew Young / Photo Credit: Andrew J. yellow like Lisa and mommy.” Young Foundation, Inc. I don’t know where she got that idea. But one thing I can say is that even small children are sensitive to I have many opportunities to give lectures at differences. universities and other places, but one thing that bothers me when I see students these days is that Dealing with discrimination means understanding they don’t talk to each other. So when I stand on and appreciating human differences. It takes much the podium, I tell the students, “Everyone, please hard work, but the best place to put it into practice introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you. is home. Family members are the closest people And shake hands.” This creates a new relationship. to each other, so they can hurt you the most when disagreement occurs. That’s why it’s important to Humans can’t be a human alone. We nurture respect and accept each other’s opinions daily. Home humanity through opening our hearts to others and is a “training ground” to overcome social divisions. sharing with others. Please don’t forget that we are a group, a family.

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You fought against racism with Dr. King. Could About 20 years later, When I gave a speech in a town you share with us one of the most memorable as an ambassador to the United Nations, the sergeant experiences with him? came to see me. He was dressed in a green jacket and white pants and lost so much weight that he looked When Dr. King was imprisoned in 1962 in Albany, like someone else. Georgia, I was a contact person. On my first visit to the prison to meet Dr. King, a white officer, not even He told me, “If you had not visited Albany and faced lifting his head, shouted, “This little nig*** wants to me, I would still be living the same life. I want to meet that big nig***!” thank you today.” He was a big man, just like a sumo wrestler and had a stick and a gun. I managed to talk to Dr. King that It is deeply inspiring to learn that following Dr. day and told him how the officer treated me with King’s advice, you have formed a genuine friendship discriminatory language. with the sergeant, regardless of ethnicity or social positions. What does “nonviolence,” the philosophy Dr. King then said, “Well, that’s your problem. You that supported the American Civil Rights Movement, have to figure out how to get along with him.” mean to you? The next day, I tried something. I looked at his name In Mahatma Gandhi’s words, nonviolence is the tag and addressed him by name, and said, “Good power of the soul. Humans are not a mere physical morning! How are you, Sergeant Hamilton?”. being but a spiritual being. We can obtain true victory through the power of spirit. He was surprised and seemed confused. Next, judging from his body type, I further said to him, “You had to Let me tell you a story that symbolizes the spirit of play football somewhere.” nonviolence. It happened on a summer day in 1964 in St. Augustine, where we marched for weeks. Then he smiled. From there, we had a lively conversation about his alma mater and local football The Ku Klux Klan, which constantly targeted us with players, which eventually helped us form a friend-like violence, started marching one evening. When the relationship. blacks saw this, instead of swearing back at them, they welcomed the group with a beautiful song, “I love all people with my heart.” This was genuinely nonviolent behavior. As I think back, I grew up surrounded by diverse values. In my hometown of New Orleans, most of the children in my neighborhood were white, but all the students were black at school. I was from a middle- class family, but many other students were from poor families. Also, while most of the residents were Catholic, our family was Protestant. I always had to overcome barriers that separate people, such as race, economic and religious differences. My father was a dentist, and he always taught me, “Don’t get emotional. Get smart.” He also said, “The power of spirit is the strongest weapon you have.” Ambassador Young with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. / Photo Credit: Andrew J. Young Foundation, Inc.

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Anger paralyzes human thinking. With the power of led to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and the wisdom and spirit, man can overcome any difficulties. democratization of South Africa. I am now 89 years old and still cherish my father’s advice to “get smart.” Thank you so much for sharing such an important story. Your dialogue of courage paved the way for I could see how your childhood environment helped peace and coexistence. What actions can we start in you nurture the power of spirit and wisdom. You our lives? never changed your belief to have sincere dialogues The human mind is delicate, and we tend to create even after you joined politics. “barriers” in our hearts. That’s why I’ve been trying I was appointed as an ambassador to the United to talk to many people. By doing so, I feel that I, too, Nations under the Carter administration and have overcome barriers in my heart. visited South Africa in 1977. At the time, apartheid It’s not difficult at all. All you need is a smile and oppressed black people and deprived their human a hello. From these two actions, we can create dignity. communities. The barriers that divide people exist in I met with many black leaders, but I didn’t have a racial differences and many more, including between chance to talk to white officials. So I asked, “Who men and women. To break down these barriers, we is the most racist in the government?” People have to try to know those who are different from us. strongly opposed my idea, but I decided that this Even if they seem hostile in the current world order, was the person I must talk to. I immediately made an we have to understand and respect each other. This appointment to meet him in person. is the task that we must accomplish. In any case, humanity is what connects us all together deep down. When I got to his house, he didn’t even say hello and Let us firmly believe in this and work together for a showered me with various questions in a blaming better future. tone. The last question was particularly interesting. He said, “How long do you think it will take until bloodbath happens?” I said, “What bloodbath? I don’t think that would happen.” He raised his voice and replied, “How can you say that? Black people in this country will surely rise and kill all of us.” At that moment, I saw what was deep inside him. His “hatred” toward black people came from his “fear.” This is what created apartheid. I patiently explained to him that there is a precedent in America where blacks and whites have tried to live together, and that the government wants to support a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa. I gave him President Carter’s phone number and left his house. After that, he seemed to have called the president. Eventually, a meeting was arranged between him and the Vice President of the United States, which

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