Community advocate and leader Preston Love Jr. remembers his meeting with President Jimmy Carter, and what led up to his election. Preston Love is a community advocate, youth educator, and economic development organizer who ran for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 election. The following is what Preston Love Jr. is thinking about while remembering President Jimmy Carter.
In 1968, Republican Richard Nixon was elected as the USA President. During the sixties, nearly a decade of major Civil Rights gains and legislation occurred, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Also in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was assassinated. MLK death sent the Civil Rights Movement into a tailspin and sent his close and trusted advisors all asunder. Nixon was reelected in 1972 but forced to resign in 1974. Let’s reflect on 1972.
In April 1972, Black leadership had a historic, and major, National Black Political Conference, in Gary, Indiana, hosted by groundbreaking Black Mayor Richard Hatcher. Out of that conference came a series of major elements: a manifesto called the “GARY DECLARATION,” which was a strong commitment from most of the major national political leaders that the time was “now” for action. At that juncture in history, there was a resolve to activate the Black political power throughout the country. That convention should be noted as a major event in the history of Black politics in America. Also, in 1972, when Nixon was re-elected, African-American female Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm became the first Black person in modern times to run for US President. Also, South Dakota Senator George McGovern ran for the presidency. [A sidebar: The Governor of Georgia was Jimmy Carter and Andrew Young, a close advisor to MLK, was left without a mission or direction.] A little-known fact, and not recorded historically is the perspective that you have a liberal Democrat running for President, and a Black woman as well. This presented a potentially troubling dynamic for the Democratic Party, not knowing the direction Black voters might take. The possibility was that the Black vote could be split, between McGovern and Chisholm, to the detriment of the Democrats in the 1972 Presidential race. It should be mentioned that Atlanta was the hub of the Civil Rights Movement, and it was populated by Daddy King, (Martin Luther King Jr.’s father), and the directionless, Andrew Young. Andrew Young decided to run for Congress. This all happened in 1972. A little-known fact is that Daddy King appealed to candidate McGovern to support the candidacy of Andrew Young, running for Congress out of Georgia, and in return he promised to galvanize much of the Black vote for McGovern, as opposed to Shirley Chisholm. That deal was agreed to. Shirley Chisholm’s presidential aspirations were not successful, but Andrew Young was elected to Congress, and George McGovern was defeated by the re-elected Nixon. Jimmy Carter was very close to the Black community in Georgia, and was the Governor.
In 1974, Nixon resigned from the Presidency, because of Watergate and Gerald Ford became the President. Andrew Young was reelected in 1974 and 1976.
In 1976, Governor Jimmy Carter ran for, and was elected President. Some felt that was a result of America’s reaction to the corruptness of the Republican Administration of Nixon. It also should be noted that in 1976, Black people voted heavily throughout the nation, for Jimmy Carter at an estimated 90%. It thought that it was the highest Black vote in history, up to that point. It should also be noted that it was partly a residual of the 1972 Black Political Convention in Gary. After being elected President, Jimmy Carter called on his old friend from Atlanta, Congressman Andrew Young, to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
A series of unfortunate historical events, including the firing of Andrew Young, and an American hostage situation, where a group of Americans were held hostage by Iran, and a failed attempt to rescue them, all continued to weaken President Carter’s presidency and his reelection in 1980 against presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. Preston Love, Jr. entered the Atlanta political scene. He had moved to Atlanta and worked on what then became the successful campaign for former Ambassador, Andrew Young to become Mayor of Atlanta. Love was a major participant in his campaign and was one of the three people who he appointed to run a city department when he was elected in 1980, as the Mayor. Jimmy Carter was defeated and returned to his home in Georgia to build his Presidential Library in Plains, Georgia. The loss of favor of President Carter leading up to the election could not be overcome by the strong Black voter support behind him. As a matter of fact, Andrew Young’s race for Mayor was negatively impacted by his support of Carter’s presidential library, which was very controversial in the Atlanta area, and nearly cost Andrew Young his victory for Mayor.
By 1983, the continued impact of the 1972 Black Political Summit was manifested in the gigantic, and historic victory of Harold Washington, as the first Black Mayor of Chicago. Preston Love Jr. was loaned to Washington by Mayor Andrew Young and played a significant role in his administration. The political impact of Mr. Washington’s victory was enormous. That victory was followed by another historical political and leadership meeting, again hosted by Mayor Richard Hatcher. The agenda of the meeting of these Black political leaders was that if Blacks could win Chicago, then it was possible for Blacks to have a successful run for President. It was unanimous that it could and should happen, but none of the major Black political leaders held up their hands. Just a few could have: Dave Dinkins of New York, former Mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson, Mayor Coleman Young of Detroit, Richard Hatcher, and Andrew Young, to name just a few. No one raised their hand.
After the Black leadership meeting in 1983, Rev. Jesse Jackson decided to test the waters. Re-enter Preston Love, Jr. Because of Jesse Jackson’s relationship with Andrew Young, Love’s presence in his administration and Love’s newly-found political reputation, Jesse Jackson asked him to take a leave of absence from Andrew Young, and work with Jackson during his exploratory journey, to decide whether or not he should run for President. Love accepted Jackson’s offer.
In 1983, during the exploratory phase of the potential presidential quest of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Love, at that point, was Reverend Jesse Jackson’s only staff member. Late in the summer of 1983, while Reverend Jackson and Preston Love Jr. traveled the southern sector, registering black voters and urging them to vote, they visited, at Rev. Jackson’s request, former President Jimmy Carter at his home in Plains, Georgia. Preston said he remembered so well what gracious hosts President Carter and his wife Rosalyn were. His insightful, historic, perspective of the Presidency, and his advice to Rev. Jackson was greatly appreciated.
While President Carter encouraged Rev. Jackson to pursue a run for President, he was very clear, and forthright, about the pitfalls and the realities of doing such. Love felt, after meeting with President Carter in that situation, a tremendous regard and respect for the man. They had a short, but exciting, tour of the complex, and a quick course in farming peanuts. Preston Love mourns the fact that President Carter, to this date, has not received his due as President, his post-Presidential accomplishments, and his interaction and relationships throughout his political career with the Black community.