The Memo by John Hope Bryant

Author:John Hope Bryant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2017-04-09T04:00:00+00:00

How I Chased Down Ambassador Young

People hear me talk all the time about civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young as my mentor, personal hero, and friend. He is all of that, and close to a father figure in my life at this point as well, but there was a time when he had not a clue who I was and was not all that interested in learning more. To state it kindly, I was a pest of the highest order. I would just never give up.

I would find out where Andrew Young was speaking, and I would drive or fly there, depending on the distance. Yes, I said fly there. At my own expense. I would hustle the money up, and I would purchase a plane ticket—with no advance appointment or guarantee to meet him.

I did this in countless cities for over a decade. Wherever he was, that is where I wanted to be. Why? Because he and Quincy Jones were the only two black men I knew of in the whole, entire world who were “international.”

These two men were not black leaders who traveled places. They were internationally respected global leaders. Absolute best in class in their fields. Who also happened to be black. They were not “black for a living,” but they were very proud to be black. This, I decided, was my model.

And so, I did tons of research on Young, showed genuine and authentic interest, and then I made an investment in the relationship. I would show up wherever he happened to be. But I was not stalking the man. If he could not meet with me, or if he didn’t even have time to speak with me, that was okay. He owed me nothing. This was a risk that I was willing to take—for me and my future. One day I got lucky.

I heard that Ambassador Andrew Young was keynoting at a Corporate Council on Africa meeting in Dallas, Texas, so I purchased a plane ticket, registered for the conference, and flew there. Believe me, every purchase back then was a struggle. I decided to purchase a plane ticket instead of wasting money on a weekend of partying in the Los Angeles club scene. I decided to purchase a ticket instead of a stereo or cool rims for my car, which is where most of my friends my age were pouring their cash.

When I showed up in Dallas, Andrew Young had come down with a bug. He had to speak soon, but he was not feeling well. I decided that this was my chance. I offered to put him in my car and drive him to the pharmacy to get him whatever he needed. It worked, and for forty-five minutes, on the way to and on the way back from the pharmacy, I had this man’s undivided attention. I had borrowed my friend Effie Booker’s Mercedes Benz automobile to drive Young around. It worked like a charm except for one thing—he didn’t remember anything I said to him.

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