Coleman A. Young is one of the most important African-American political pioneers in history.
- He was one of the first black mayors of a major U.S. city
- Young's life story features a series of many "firsts," each of which created opportunities for others to travel with less
- The story of Young's rise to political prominence is one of deep struggle and perseverance.
Coleman was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1918. He was the oldest of five children born to William Coleman Young, who worked as a barber, and Ida Reese Jones Young, a teacher.
The family left for Detroit by train on in 1923. They settled in Black Bottom, an east-side area named for the richness of its soil. Blacks coming from the South seeking work in the auto industry were segregated into the crowded but vibrant neighborhood.
Young was one of the top students in the Catholic school system, but his scholarship to a Catholic high school was rescinded when a priest learned that the light- skinned youngster was black.
Young attended Eastern High School instead and graduated second in his class. Young was not awarded an academic scholarship to any of the universities in Michigan. (One of the reasons Mayor Young founded CAYF was to give others opportunities denied to him.)
Coleman A. Young
1918-1997
"Coleman Young was one of the greatest mayors our country has known. With compassion and vision, he provided the leadership that lifted Detroit from a climate of unprecedented violence to one of hope and greater prosperity."
- Former President Jimmy Carter
"Coleman Young was not only a great mayor but an inspiration to many city leaders throughout the nation."
- Former President Bill Clinton
"His bold and forthright advocacy for the people of Detroit, and especially for those who knew the deep pain of discrimination, will always mark Coleman Young as one of the greatest mayors in urban America. But more than being a great mayor, Coleman Young was truly a great man. His compassion, his intellect, his courage, his wit, and even his occasionally sharp tongue, were the essential ingredients of a man who tried to lead us to a world as it should be, rather than accepting a world of the past. "
- Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer
Young worked for Ford Motor, but agitated management with his union organizing activity and found himself blacklisted from working in the industry. The FBI also opened a case file on him. Young became deeply involved in the labor movement and became the first black official in the CIO. His slogan was: “Black and white unite to fight.” Young believed that the struggle for workers' rights and the struggle for black civil rights were essentially connected.
Young was drafted for WWII and was a lieutenant with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. Young was arrested with 100 other black officers after trying to integrate an officers club. The officers were later released.
After the war, Young's organizing work was monitored by the federal government who, in the 1950s, were in the throes of an anti-Communist witchhunt that sought to ensnare anyone working in the labor or civil rights movements.
In 1952 Young was ordered to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He became the first witness to confront the committee, calling it "un-American." Young's testimony was radiocast in Detroit and he became a local hero.