Coleman Young

• Born: May 24, 1918
• Birthplace: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Died: November 29, 1997
• Place of death: Detroit, Michigan

Politician

A five-term mayor of Detroit, Young was a controversial figure for his outspoken style and his controversial political decisions.

Areas of achievement: Government and politics; Military; Social issues

Early Life

Coleman Alexander Young was born May 24, 1918, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to William Coleman, a tailor who had attended Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University to study tailoring, and Ida Reese Young. When Coleman Young was a boy, his family relocated to Michigan and settled in Detroit’s Black Bottom, a neighborhood of immigrants known for its rich black soil. During the 1920’s, the Black Bottom was integrated by economics and not by race.

At ten years of age, Young started doing odd jobs in the neighborhood to earn pocket change. Sweeping floors, delivering suits, and running errands kept his pockets filled. As the oldest of five children, Young began to assume more responsibilities as his family dynamic changed. Young’s father was a hardworking man who often held several jobs at a time to keep his family comfortable; however, he also was an avid gambler who alternated between heavy drinking and long periods of sobriety. As a result, Young was responsible for making sure his father’s gambling winnings made it home before they were lost in the next game of poker or whist. His father had fair skin, and Young knew this permitted his father a seat at poker tables with white news reporters and photographers and made him privy to conversations that white men had in his presence before they understood he was a black man. Once his heritage was discovered, Young’s father was fired from his job as a tailor. Undiscouraged, however, the father opened a dry-cleaning and tailoring shop in a building that doubled as the family home. The discrimination that his father endured left an indelible impression on Young that shaped his worldview.

Life’s Work

During World War II, Young served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, as a navigator and a bombardier, joining the famed group of Tuskegee Airmen. He began to organize his African American soldier-comrades in demanding equal rights. After the war, in 1960, Young became part of a delegation to create a new constitution for the state of Michigan. Four years later, he was elected to the Michigan State Senate, where he served until 1973. During that time, he was also the executive secretary for the National Negro Labor Council. Young had a passion for justice, and he wanted to ensure that Detroit’s citizens were represented by someone who had their best interests at heart. Having grown up in Detroit and witnessed at first hand the racial inequality that existed in the city, Young wanted a chance to change the face of politics in the city.

Following the 1967 riots that set the stage for Detroit’s economic downward spiral, Young was appointed to a committee that would address affirmative action within the police department. Few African Americans held positions of power in Detroit’s municipal departments, and Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, who created the committee, eventually capitulated to the police unions, which were determined to quash those efforts. To protest the department’s failure to hire more African American officers, Young resigned.

In 1974, Young ran for mayor of Detroit and won. However, his tenure was marked by continuing decline of the city. His outspokenness alienated him from government officials, and because of this Detroit was exempted from federal funding. Young’s fierce independence often led to explosive engagements with the media and other public representatives.

Young believed that the challenges Detroit faced were larger than one person could solve. It was his contention that the primary problem was an economic one that would require the creation of jobs, and he fought with those who did not make efforts to bring this about. He was also against public policy that excluded his constituents from benefits that could move the city forward. His disdain for injustice often overrode his willingness to communicate his displeasure in a constructive way. The end result was that he alienated the political and governmental organizations that might have assisted in turning around Detroit’s economic decline.

In 1993, after serving five terms, Young stepped down as mayor of Detroit. He experienced considerable frustration with a system that could overlook the plight of an entire urban community. In 1997, Young, a lifelong smoker, died of emphysema.

Significance

The work of Young was often overshadowed by his larger-than-life personality. He was unapologetic in his delivery, which was often laced with expletives. However abrasive his manner, he fought long and hard to effect change in his community. He was not shy about speaking out against injustice wherever he saw it. For this he endured ridicule and the naysaying of others while struggling to save his city from decline. Young’s legacy is one of contending for justice no matter the consequences. From his early years in the armed forces to his nearly twenty years of service as the mayor of the city of Detroit, Young left a model for African Americans to work unceasingly for improvement.

Bibliography

Colburn, David R., and Jeffrey S. Adler, eds. African American Mayors: Race, Politics, and the American City. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001. A historical look at twentieth century African American mayors, their contributions, and the role race played in politics.

Rich, Wilbur C. Coleman Young and Detroit Politics: From Social Activist to Power Broker. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1989. A comprehensive biography chronicling Young’s life, from his chilhood through his years as mayor of Detroit.

Young, Coleman A., and Lonnie Wheeler. Hard Stuff: The Autobiography of Coleman A. Young. New York: Penguin, 1994. Candid and colorful account of the life of Young, told in his own words. A must read for anyone wanting to know Young’s perspective on life.