Former U.N. ambassador and civil rights icon Andrew Young speaks in Atlanta on Feb. 17, 2026, at the launch of launch of the Legacy Line, an initiative focused on preserving Ernest C. Withers’ photographic archive. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
Civil rights icon Andrew Young issued a blunt warning Tuesday that liberties won during the 20th Century are under threat, but he also said he believes people today have the necessary tools to protect them.
Speaking at the launch of a project to digitize 1.8 million Civil Rights Movement-era photographs in Atlanta, the 93-year-old former U.N. ambassador said that freedom is something that needs to be constantly protected. He said that while the photographs around him captured “dangers, toils, and snares” of the past, they could become a reflection of a modern America where many fail to realize that “freedom is not free.”
“You just look at the picture. Just look at it. It could be Minnesota. It could be Atlanta. It could be Chicago, could be Phoenix, it could be anywhere in America and anywhere on the planet where people don’t realize that freedom is not free,” Young said in response to whether he is seeing any parallels between the past and current times. “It’s something you have to organize to protect, something you have to vote to implement, and something that will really determine your happiness and your success in life.”
The backdrop to Young’s words of caution was the launch of the Legacy Line, an initiative focused on preserving Ernest C. Withers’ photographic archive, a massive collection of 1.8 million images from the Civil Rights Movement, of which less than 1% has been digitized so far. The event seemed to bridge the past and present, featuring former Atlanta mayors and young “torchbearers,” who were reminded of the struggle through photographs, such as the Emmett Till trial and the bloody marches in the South.
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“This is not a study of the past. This is reminding you of how we got to where we are … I still remember and cherish many of those moments, because it reminds us how far we’ve come, but it should also remind us that we can go even further if we have the same vitality, energy and vision that you see in these photographs,” Young said.
Young and other leaders also paid respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died earlier Tuesday at age 84. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens led the room in a moment of silence and a powerful call-and-response of Jackson’s “I am somebody” chant before discussing the importance of preserving these visual historical artifacts.
“I grew up hearing the stories of how Atlanta became the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. These were stories of famous names, but also stories about neighbors, teachers, parents, good old, ordinary people who stepped up in the midst of extraordinary times. Some raised their voices. Some raised their pens and some raised their cameras. But everyone had a part to play,” Dickens said.
Young also discussed his relationship with law enforcement when asked about parallels with recent deadly encounters with immigration enforcement officers. He said that the movement never viewed the police as their enemies, even during the height of the struggle and that he drew on advice from his father, telling himself “don’t get mad, get smart.”
“Don’t let anybody make you lose your temper. He said, ‘your mind is the most powerful weapon you have,’” Young said.
Before leaving the stage, Young encouraged the audience not to be discouraged by challenging situations, saying they often lead to opportunities, specifically pointing to his tenure as Atlanta’s mayor and his push to host the Summer Olympics in 1996.
“Things happen as a result of our interchange and interactions with problems, and a problem is an opportunity to do something better than it’s being done,” Young said.
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