Newspaper Page Text
Andy Young
Continued from page 6.
exclude, Jews and blacks ought to
be against quotas." But he quickly
adds, “When quotas are used to
include, then Jews and blacks ought
to be for quotas.” Young explains
that although there has been a long
history of anti-Jewish quotas, there
has also been "a 400 year history of
keeping blacks out of white institu
tions, and so when we say we’re
going to make a special effort to
get blacks into those predominantly
white institutions, then that’s a
good thing.”
Special efforts are embraced by
both Jews and blacks. The only
issue is whether strict number quo
tas should be the pivot point. But
there is question whether the quota
conflict is a legitimate irritant to
blacks. In view of Mayor Young’s
explanation that affirmative action
itself is now so entrenched that it
can continue in a mere mainte
nance format, the quota conflict
takes on apparent irrelevance.
In fact, in Atlanta, Youngdoesn’t
employ quotas, and instead uses
minority participation in joint ven
tures, and a system that can be
called “checkerboarding” to main
tain a good racial mix or balance.
On the Atlanta police force, for
example, “If there’s a black major,
there’s a white captain,” asserts
‘...perhaps no con
flict between blacks
and Jews was more
destructive to their
relationship than
Young’s resignation
from the United
Nations.’
Young. This allows the mayor to
seek out the best suited individual
for any top position—white or
black, but then appoint co-workers
of the opposite race to strike a bal
ance. By this means, “Our police
force is about 50 percent black
and 50 percent white," declares
Young.
While admitting that the aggres
sive phase of affirmative action is
about over, Young cautions, “I
would always have some kind of
method of checking on the racial
and ethnic balance of decisionmak
ing in this city.” In other words,
vigilance to avoid backsliding.
But if the bulk of affirmative
action’s work has already been
accomplished, and quotas are not
even considered useful in Atlanta,
the question is raised: why are quo
tas a divisive issue between Jews
and blacks?
But perhaps no conflict between
blacks and Jews was more destruc
tive to their relationship than An
drew Young’s 1979 resignation from
the United Nations. At the time.
Young was Jimmy Carter’s ambas
sador to the United Nations, and
serving as president of the Security
Council. Young met with Palestine
Liberation Organization represen
tatives despite this government’s
prohibition on any contact with
the PLO until they recognize Israel’s
right to exist.
When the news broke, there was
an immediate public outcry. About
two weeks later, Andrew Young
resigned. It was widely assumed
that Jews had pressured the Carter
administration to demand Young’s
resignation. This created a firestorm
of black rage against Jews, fueled
most passionately by the Rev. Jesse
Jackson, who publicly warned:
“Jews, you don’t know what you
done when you forced out Andy.
You’ve gone too far.” It was the
first demonstrative public attack
by black leaders against the Jewish
community, and has been consi
dered by many—including Young
himself—to be a turning point in
their relations.
Jewish leaders, especially those
in Atlanta, knowing they had not
pressured Carter to fire Young,
repeatedly asked Young to reduce
tensions by publicly setting the
record straight. During the inter
view, Young detailed what really
happened. He first categorically
denied that the Jews forced his
resignation. “The reason I re
signed,” explained Young, “was a
headline in the New York Post
which said ‘Jews Demand Fire Him.’
I think they werelalkingabout one
or two of the 25 (major) Jewish
organizations (in existence).
“Yet that was the headline,” Young
continued. “The reaction from those
kinds of headlines—well, in New
York I think if I had not resigned,
we could have had race riots. Be
tween blacks and Jews.” Young
explained that he expected Jews
might picket him at the U.N.. and
if that occurred, he was confident
“blacks would have come down
from Brooklyn and Harlem after
them.”
Young does not believe such
race riots would have spread to
Watts, the southside of Chicago
and black sections of other cities.
“I don’t think tensions exist any
where in the world like they do in
Brooklyn.”
Young added that had that head
line never run, he would have re
mained in office. Quickly he real
ized that “the (Post’s) headline was
wrong. It was inaccurate.” And he
was comforted by Carter’s refusal
to accept his resignation. But Young
insisted on leaving to avoid escalat
ing misimpressions that might lead
to violent attacks by blacks against
Jews in New York.
Young was unable to square
why he resigned from the U.N. to
avoid racial tension arising from a
‘Jews, you don’t
know what you
done when you
forced out Andy.
You’ve gone too
far.’
Jesse Jackson
misimpression, but then allowed
the friction to escalate by failing to
set the record straight, especially in
the case of Jesse Jackson.
Jewish leaders in Atlanta and
elsewhere confirm that Young has
told essentially this same story to
many private gatherings of blacks
and Jews, but has consistently re
fused to publicly set the record
straight. One Jewish leader de
clared, “I was talking directly to
him and I said, ‘Andy, we are tak
ing a terrible beating on this, and
Continued next page.
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THE TEMPLE
Atlanta’s oldest, most centrally located Reform
Synagogue welcomes your membership.
The Temple Membership Committee looks
forward to greeting you always, and especially
Friday, August 30 and Friday, September 6
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For further information on our Religious
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1589 Peachtree Street, N.E./Atlanta Ga 30367
PAGE 7 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 30, 1985