Honorable Coleman Young

1974 Solomon Carter Fuller Award Recipient

Lecture Title: Black People. Inner Cities and Psychiatry 1974: Survival in 1984?

Honorable Young, an American politician, served as the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1974 to 1994, becoming the city's first African American mayor. During World War II, he served with distinction in the 477th Medium-Bomber Group, famously known as the Tuskegee Airmen, where he held the ranks of second lieutenant, bombardier, and navigator. Young's tenure in the 477th included involvement in the Freeman Field Mutiny of 1945, where he and other African American officers were arrested for resisting segregation at a base near Seymour, Indiana.

Emerging from Detroit's far-left political circles, Honorable Young exhibited a shift towards moderation after assuming the mayoral office. He prioritized fostering unity and securing broad support, particularly from the city's business community. Young demonstrated remarkable energy in spearheading various urban development projects, including the construction of the Joe Louis Arena and the enhancement of Detroit's mass transit system. He also played a pivotal role in facilitating General Motors establishment of its "Poletown" plant on the site of the former Dodge Main plant in Hamtramck. While facing criticism from some quarters for allegedly diverting resources away from neighborhoods to downtown revitalization efforts, Young emphasized the absence of viable alternatives. In recognition of his contributions, the Honorable Young was honored with the Solomon Carter Fuller Award in 1974 and the Spingarn Medal for Achievement from the NAACP in 1981.