“Discipline yourself so you never get mad you get smart.” -Andrew Young

The Upward Bound students of Buffalo State College were treated to life lessons by former United Nations ambassador and civil rights activist Andrew Young at its summer program awards banquet.

Young, who served as the UN ambassador during the Carter administration, received the 2017 Hal D. Payne Educational Opportunity Lifetime Service Award during the banquet. He also served as the event’s keynote speaker. The former mayor of Atlanta, brought a message that gave both a history tutorial and a guide to navigate through today’s political turbulent time. It was also a navigation through the rough waters of life. “You should never turn your back on any human being,” Young stated. “It doesn’t matter what color, or age, or what culture, in each and every human being is the same thing that is in you.

That is the spirit of the living God” Don Patterson, the director of the Upward Bound program at Buffalo State, believed that having one of the foremost civil rights and global leaders as the keynote speaker at the event was invaluable for his students. “His message to the students was extremely timely,” Patterson said. “When he told them to believe in yourselves, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and grow from those mistakes.” “He emphasized history and the knowledge of it. He wanted the young people to realize that you must know your history during this turbulent time. His message was one of growth for these young minds.”

During the banquet, the students were treated to a video retrospective of Young’s multitude of service. The video showed the former congressman’s early life as a television personality in the 50’s, a civil rights leader next to Martin Luther King in the 60’s, the UN ambassador in the 70’s, and Mayor of Atlanta in the 80’s. His life was a road map for community service. He related his early life as a civil rights activist. He spoke of Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young Deltas To Host Jabberwock Info Session Addresses Buffalo State Upward Bound Students how he marched shoulder to shoulder with Dr. King in an attempt to gain equality for all races, colors and creeds.

Upward Bound students, like high school freshman Jhayla Chinn, were unaware of Young’s life experience. “His speech was very powerful,” Chinn said. “I had not heard of Mr. Young but after he spoke I wanted to learn more about him.” “I don’t know if I could do some of the things he did with Martin Luther King,” Chinn continued. “It was very brave and I learned a lot.” Ambassador Young also gave some insight to the current political climate. He made a compelling argument on why the presidential election turned out in favor of Donald Trump. “Many Americans in rural and poorer parts of the country wanted a simple answer for their plight,” Young explained. “The world is very complex and the answers are not very simple but people want plain answers.”

“Donald Trump gave a simple answer to many Americans that are feeling pain economically,” he continued. quiries. The President of DST Buffalo Alumnae Chapter is Dr. Mattie L. Rhodes, and the Jabberwock Chairpersons are Trina Burruss and JoAnna Johnson. “He spoke in a way that made sense to many of those people. Unfortunately, the country and the world does not work that way.”

Patterson gave an impassioned soliloquy, during the banquet, on why he wanted Ambassador Young to speak to his students. “We are moving towards the right thing. We are moving towards good. We are moving towards positive outcomes. (Everyone) Keep pushing. Everyone here is a part of it,” Patterson exclaimed. “ His (Young’s) life is an example of it. His life is an example of what you can do if all of us, not just one person, moving in one direction can achieve.”

After the event, Young took time to take pictures with many of the young people. He also continued to drop pearls of wisdom to the Upward Bound participants. Young also sat and had a discussion with long time local politician and community leader Arthur O. Eve. The meeting was a chance for the students to witness over a century of community service experience in one place.

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