ATLANTA — Andrew Young - a Civil Rights Movement luminary, a former congressman, once the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a former mayor of Atlanta - has lived an extraordinary life of service, and on Saturday he is being celebrated for his 90th birthday.
Young, a close comrade of Martin Luther King Jr.'s in the 60s as a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was born March 12, 1932 in New Orleans.
Young has been holding a series of events this week leading up to his birthday, including a peace walk on Thursday in Atlanta and a prayer for peace event on Wednesday in which he shared his thoughts on the war in Ukraine.
On Saturday night a special gala will be held to mark his 90 years as a conclusion to the week of events. A live stream of that gala will be available here starting at 7 p.m.
As Young celebrates his birthday, people from across Atlanta and the wider world are paying homage to the statesman and activist.
11Alive Anchor Jeff Hullinger tweeted out a photo with Young, and wrote: "Happy 90th Birthday to the incomparable Andrew Young. A remarkable American life - civil rights activist, confidant of Dr. King, minister, former congressman, 55th Atlanta Mayor, UN ambassador, co-chairman of the 1996 Summer Olympics, & friend."
The City of Atlanta hailed his "lifetime of public service and peacemaking" and said "we celebrate and salute you."
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta also wished him a happy birthday.
Georgia State, whose School of Public Policy is named for Young, thanked him for his "leadership and influence" both at the school and in "our nation and beyond."
The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Dr. King was assassinated, credited Young with organizing "some of the most important protests" of the Civil Rights Movement era.
Congressional candidate Marcus Flowers, a Democrat running against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, tweeted a photo with young.
Young's global impact was also felt, as the Consulate General of Belgium, in Atlanta, joined the peace walk to "honor his commitment to peace."