Hard Stuff: The Autobiography of Mayor Coleman Young
(The first African-American mayor of Detroit recounts his ...)
The first African-American mayor of Detroit recounts his life, describing his epic journey from "Big Time Red" on the Prohibition streets of Detroit to his rise in politics.
The Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. Young (African American Life Series) - Kindle edition by Coleman Alexander, freelance journalist Bill McGraw. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
(This little red book brings together many of the longtime...)
This little red book brings together many of the longtime Detroit Mayor’s most unforgettable lines in a format meant to recall the famous little red book of quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. It was first published in 1991 by Droog Press, a small Detroit-based press founded by a long-time reporter and editor at the Detroit Free Press. This new edition features quotations that did not make it into the original book and a chronology outlining Coleman Young’s life and career. Both insightful and entertaining, this is an essential reference for anyone interested in politics, black politics in particular, and political humor. Some quotes from Coleman A. Young: “Swearing is an art form. You can express yourself much more exactly, much more succinctly, with properly used curse words.” “Racism is like high blood pressure—the person who has it doesn’t know he has it until he drops over with a goddamned stroke. There are no symptoms of racism. The victim of racism is in a much better position to tell you whether or not you’re a racist than you are.” “I issue a warning to all those pushers, to all rip-off artists, to all muggers: It’s time to leave Detroit; hit Eight Mile Road! And I don’t give a damn if they are black or white, or if they wear Superfly suits or blue uniforms with silver badges. Hit the road.”
Coleman Alexander Young was an American politician, who was the first African American to hold the post of mayor in Detroit, Michigan. He held that position from 1974 to 1994. He was also a labour activist who helped found the National Negro Labor Council.
Background
Coleman Alexander Young was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the United States, on May 24, 1918. He was the oldest of five children born to Coleman and Ida Reese (Jones) Young. His family moved to Detroit's "Black Bottom" neighbourhood when he was five. Young's father set up a tailor shop and also worked for the post office, while his mother was a teacher and a homemaker.
Education
Young attended a Catholic elementary school and Eastern High School, graduating with honors.
During his career, Young received a number of honorary degrees from various universities, including Eastern Michigan University, Wayne State University, the University of Detroit, Stillman College and the University of Michigan.
Young started his career working on the assembly line for the Ford Motor Company, Young took part in the sitdown strikes of 1937. He served in World War II as a second lieutenant and bombadier-navigator. During the postwar period, Young worked as a union organizer for the Congress of Industrial Organizations but was fired because he clashed with union leader Walter Reuther.
In 1951 Young was executive secretary of the National Negro Labor Council, which the Truman administration labeled "subversive." In the McCarthy era, Young was investigated by federal authorities as a suspected Communist sympathizer. In the 1950s, Young worked in a laundry and a butcher shop, ran his own cleaning service, drove a taxi, and sold insurance.
In 1960, he plunged into politics, winning a seat as a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention. He was elected to the Michigan Senate in 1964 and became a Democratic floor leader during his nine years there.
By 1966, he had proven himself as a leader and was elected as the Democratic minority floor leader. He spent ten years in Lansing before declaring his candidacy for mayor of the City of Detroit in 1973.
In 1974, after a hotly contested battle, Young became Detroit’s first African-American mayor, defeating John F. Nichols. Over the next 20 years, he would be re-elected four times and would solidify the political power of Detroit’s African American community.
After finishing his fifth mayoral term, Young retreated from public life.
(The first African-American mayor of Detroit recounts his ...)
1994
Politics
In Detroit's African American community, Young was a heroic figure. He created a formidable political machine and raised millions for his campaign war chest. He imposed a ban on city workers speaking to reporters and he became famous for his obscenity-laced attacks on political opponents. Young became a force in state and national politics, trying to get assistance for Detroit's daunting urban problems during an era of decreasing aid to cities from the federal and state government.
Views
Quotations:
"A brother in the order asked if I was Hawaiian. I told him, 'No, Brother, I'm coloured.' He tore up the application form right in front of my nose. I'll never forget it. It was my first real jolt about what it means to be black. That was the end of me and the Catholic Church."
"Swearing is an art form. You can express yourself much more exactly, much more succinctly, with properly used curse words."
"I suppose I'd like to be remembered as the mayor who served in a period of ongoing crisis and took some important steps to keep the city together but left office with his work incomplete."
"Courage is one step ahead of fear."
"We have worked, we have sweat, we have bled, we have fought and now we are here, we are standing on the shoulders of our ancestors, of our grandparents, our parents … as we take this city back for the people."
Membership
Young was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Booker T. Washington Businessman’s Association, Trade Union Leadership Council, Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization.
Connections
Young was twice married and divorced. His first wife's name was Marion McClellan. They were married from 1947 to 1954. In 1955, he married his second wife Nadine Baxter. However, the marriage ended with a divorce five years later.
Young also fathered a son with Executive Assistant Director of Public Works Ann Ivory Calvert and initially denied paternity until DNA tests proved that he was the child's biological father.