Civil rights icon Andrew Young talks Trump, protests and boxing in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Andrew Young, the civil rights icon and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was in Orlando earlier this week to attend the United Negro College Fund's Black History Month Luncheon.

Story: Things to know about Black History Month

Slideshow: People marching in 1963

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Before the event, Young, who was a confidant of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s, stopped by the WFTV studios to talk about race relations in America, the new administration of President Donald Trump and the ongoing significance of the United Negro College Fund and historically black colleges and universities. Young, who was also a congressman and Atlanta mayor, is the first of several guests WFTV is interviewing to commemorate Black History Month.

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Young was born in New Orleans in 1932. His mother was a school teacher, and his father, a dentist. During our lengthy talk with Young, he recalled how his father taught him how to fight and even hired a professional boxer to instruct him. But Young said his father also taught him self-control and the importance of using your brains before using your brawn. As for some of today’s youth worried about the direction of our country and whether we’ve progressed, Young advised them to review our history and then gauge how far we’ve come.

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Here are Ambassador Andrew Young’s answers to some of our questions.

Videos:

Andrew Young discusses race relations

Andrew Young discusses the future of today's youth

Andrew Young discusses President Trump

Andrew Young discusses President Trump's administration

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