Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young describes 'dirty work' of civil rights movement in new documentary

Former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young says that he was often responsible for "the dirty work" during his time fighting for civil rights with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.

- David Bauder

A federal marshal reads a court order halting a planned voter registration protest as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., right, and fellow marcher Andrew Young, left, look on in Selma, Ala., March 9, 1965.

It seems an unsavory phrase. Grunt work is more like it — efforts that may not produce headlines but keep the momentum of a historic movement going.

Now 93, Young narrates “Andrew Young: The Dirty Work,” a documentary that premiered on MSNBC. Once she heard Young use the expression to describe what he did, the film’s executive producer, Rachel Maddow, said she knew they had a title and a theme.

Young was anxious to cooperate when approached by Maddow. He recorded some of his memories in six separate sessions during the past few months. Left unspoken was this recognition: When it comes to hearing directly from people involved in the civil rights battle, time is running short.

Joining a movement — and handed a stack of mail

Young was a recent college graduate when King first gained recognition for his leadership role in the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, which protested racial segregation. Young wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, but he didn't want to become a dentist like his father. He felt a calling to join King's movement.

When he did, in 1957, he was handed a stack of mail. His first job was to write responses to letters sent to the King, who would then sign them. “He liked the way I answered them and began to ask me to do more,” Young recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. His behind-the-scenes job took shape.