Current:Home > MyFrance bestows further honor on former United Nations ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
France bestows further honor on former United Nations ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young
View Date:2024-12-25 00:41:03
ATLANTA (AP) — France wants the world to know it has not forgotten about Andrew Young.
The former mayor of Atlanta, ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter and onetime confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. was further honored by France on Thursday, with Young being promoted to the rank of officer in the country’s Legion of Honor.
Laurent Bili, the French ambassador to the United States, on Thursday bestowed the 91-year-old Young with the new rank, crediting his work to end racial segregation “and paving the way for a fairer America.” Bili also noted Young’s advocacy for human rights and efforts to settle a war in what is now Zimbabwe, ending white minority rule there.
President Emmanuel Macron promoted Young in recognition of his outstanding contributions to human rights and equality.
“Ambassador Young, you are a living legend,” Bili said Thursday. “Your name is forever inscribed into the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. For decades now, you have worked to foster peace and justice throughout the world.”
France describes the Legion of Honor, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte, as its highest honor, bestowed upon citizens of France and other countries who have served France or upheld its ideals.
Thursday’s award came nearly 40 years after French President Francois Mitterrand initially inducted Young into the order during a visit to Atlanta in 1984, when Mitterrand also placed a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr. Young was mayor at the time, promoting an economic development policy based in part on international ties.
“There’s been this partnership in democracies that’s helped the change the world and make it a global economy that we have today,” Young said Thursday after he was honored. “That’s what made Atlanta work.”
Young regaled Bili before the ceremony with how he first met Mitterrand in the late 1950s when Young traveled to France as an employee of the National Council of Churches.
veryGood! (512)
Related
- Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
- 'My Name Is Mo'Nique,' and the evolution of an entertainment legend
- A mother faces 'A Thousand and One' obstacles in this unconventional NYC film
- Depeche Mode co-founder David Gahan wants us to remember: 'Memento Mori'
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Japan's Kenzaburo Oe, a Nobel-winning author of poetic fiction, dies at 88
- Megan Fox Offers Support to Sophie Lloyd Following Machine Gun Kelly Cheating Rumors
- Queen Latifah and Super Mario Bros. make history in National Recording Registry debut
- Today’s Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and More React to Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb as Co-Anchor
- Butter by Keba: 7 Must-Know Products From the Black-Founded Skincare Brand
Ranking
- Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
- Former model accuses onetime Harvey Weinstein associate of sexual assault
- Afroman put home footage of a police raid in music videos. Now the cops are suing him
- Tiger Woods Apologizes for Handing Golfer Justin Thomas a Tampon During PGA Tournament
- Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
- Shop the Best Cream Eyeshadow Sticks Starting at $2 to Simplify Your Makeup Routine
- Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun Break Up a Year After Engagement
- 'A Living Remedy' tells a story of family, class and a daughter's grief
Recommendation
-
Mike Tyson employs two trainers who 'work like a dream team' as Jake Paul fight nears
-
How Adam Sandler carved out a niche in musical comedy: 'The guitar helped relax me'
-
'I Can't Save You' is a tale of a doctor's struggle to save himself, and others
-
Our 2023 Oscars Recap
-
Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
-
Mary Quant, fashion designer who styled the Swinging Sixties, dies at 93
-
La pregunta que llevó a una mujer a crear el primer archivo de reguetón puertorriqueño
-
Drag queen (and ordained minister) Bella DuBalle won't be silenced by new Tenn. law