[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ANDREA YOUNG

  Mr. WARNOCK. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize Andrea 
Young, a daughter of Georgia, upon her retirement as a transformational 
executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.
  As the daughter of civil rights icon Andrew Young and international 
children's advocate and civil rights activist Jean Childs Young, Andrea 
Young continues their legacy by living a life dedicated to public 
service. During her nearly 10-year tenure leading the ACLU of Georgia, 
her quest for a more perfect union produced a record of achievement and 
fighting the good and necessary fights, even when success was not 
always possible.
  Early in her career, Ms. Young was a legislative staffer for Senator 
Edward Kennedy. She served as floor manager and successfully fought the 
filibuster intended to derail the passage of legislation establishing 
the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. She also accompanied Senator 
Kennedy to South Africa during apartheid and played a key role in 
legislation that established economic sanctions against the apartheid 
regime. She later served as chief of staff to the first African-
American woman elected to U.S. Congress from the State of Georgia. As 
chief of staff for a newly created congressional district, she 
developed a staff and legislative priorities, district offices, and 
constituent services.
  Before joining the ACLU of Georgia, she also created the operational 
structure of the Andrew Young Foundation, including initial staff and 
policy directives. Later, she served as adjunct professor teaching 
leadership courses at Morehouse College, the alma mater of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., and Georgia State University. She has also authored 
and contributed to several books, including ``Life Lessons My Mother 
Taught Me,'' ``An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the 
Transformation of America,'' and ``Andrew Young and the Making of 
Modern Atlanta.''
  Andrea Young became executive director of the ACLU of Georgia in 
2017, at a time when it had a full-time staff of two. Under her 
leadership, the organization was transformed into a fully staffed, 
statewide civil liberties organization that has not only improved 
communities across all of Georgia but also Americans across the 
country.
  She brought a steady, disciplined approach to the work, aligning 
litigation, policy, communications, and community engagement strategies 
so the organization could respond clearly and consistently to 
challenges facing the State and country.
  During her tenure, Georgia was at the center of some of the most 
consequential civil liberties fights in the country. For example, she 
led the organization through major legal battles, including the 
successful challenge to Georgia's abortion ban, and stood firm in 
defending the right to protest and opposing efforts to criminalize 
peaceful assembly.
  Her greatest priority was protecting voting rights, the cornerstone 
of our democracy. While serving as executive director, the ACLU of 
Georgia secured a Federal injunction protecting voters from having 
their absentee ballots rejected without due process, successfully 
challenged the attempted removal of nearly 160,000 voters from the 
rolls, and expanded access to voting across the State. Her leadership 
and vision for a stronger democracy reached communities across Georgia 
through initiatives such as the Poll Worker Program and the Local 
Election Advocates and Defenders Program, which strengthened election 
operations and increased accountability at the local level. Her efforts 
to keep voters on the rolls as well as to prevent voting station 
closings or relocations made a difference in countless local and 
Federal elections across Georgia.
  We continue that work in this body as Federal lawmakers, and I am 
honored to count Andrea as an ally in our fight to restore the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965 by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement 
Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Her lifetime of service has directly 
affected many provisions in this critical legislation, and her work has 
strengthened not only communities in Georgia but the rights of all 
Americans.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Andrea Young's service 
to the State of Georgia and to the country.

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