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.

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

Now 93, Young narrates “Andrew Young: The Dirty Work,” a documentary that premieres on MSNBC on Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern. 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

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