Civil rights leader and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young has endorsed a summer program at Anderson University that will bring together students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Christian colleges to study and practice the principles of civility, public service and human rights espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The program is part of the Andrew Young Educational Network, which seeks to connect Christian colleges with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) The initiative launches next summer on the AU campus.
Its curriculum, developed by Dr. Matt Daniels, Distinguished Professor of Law, Human Rights and International Affairs at Anderson University, and Anthony Jones, chair of the HBCU Committee of the College Board, is based on Dr. King’s teachings
Dr. Daniels and Anderson University President Evans P. Whitaker last month met with Ambassador Young in a discussion about the ways in which Christian colleges in general—and AU in particular—can develop educational programs that aim to decrease societal division, political polarization and inter-personal violence.
“At this critical hour in our nation’s history when polarization is at an all-time high, it is a must that we focus our energies on salvaging some salvation for our future through the lives of dedicated young people to the unifying truths Dr. King espoused. I’m grateful for Ambassador Young’s continued support in this important endeavor,” said Anthony Jones, chair of the College Board HBCU Conference.
“I’m grateful to President Whittaker and the board of Anderson University for providing a home for this next phase of our higher education initiative that began with our Andrew Young HBCU Scholarship Program administered by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund,” Dr. Daniels said.
Dr. Daniels joined the faculty at Anderson University for the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. The founder and executive director of The Good of All Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes human dignity through civility, Dr. Daniels graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and earned a law degree and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University. He is the author of Civil Rights: A Global Perspective, curriculum adopted last month by the South Carolina Department of Education that provides high-quality civics education resources to South Carolina teachers and students at no cost to local districts.
Ambassador Young was among the first leaders of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, serving alongside Dr. King as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC.) A pastor, author and activist, Ambassador Young was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives; the mayor of Atlanta; and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter.