Xernona Clayton facts for kids

Xernona Clayton Brady (born August 30, 1930) is an American leader in civil rights and a top executive in broadcasting. During the Civil Rights Movement, she worked with important groups like the National Urban League and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. There, she became involved with the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..

Later, Xernona Clayton started working in television. She became the first African American woman from the southern United States to host a daily talk show during prime time. She then rose to become a corporate vice president for Turner Broadcasting.

Clayton also created the Trumpet Foundation. This foundation helped start the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. This walk honors the achievements of African Americans and other civil rights supporters. She even convinced a leader of the Ku Klux Klan to speak out against the group. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the city of Atlanta have honored her for her important work.

Early Life and Education

Xernona Clayton and her twin sister, Xenobia, were born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Their parents, Reverend James and Elliott (Lillie) Brewster, worked with Native American affairs in Muskogee.

In 1952, Clayton graduated with honors from Tennessee State Agricultural and Industrial College in Nashville, Tennessee. She studied music and also focused on education. While at Tennessee State, Clayton joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is a Baptist. She continued her studies at the University of Chicago.

Working for Civil Rights

Clayton began her career helping with the Civil Rights Movement. She started with the National Urban League in Chicago. She worked secretly to find out if employers were treating African Americans unfairly.

In 1965, Clayton moved to Atlanta. There, she helped organize events for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This was under the direction of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. She became very good friends with Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott King. Clayton and Scott King even traveled together for concerts. Even though Clayton did not march with Dr. King, she helped plan his marches.

In 1966, Clayton led the Doctors' Committee for Implementation. This group of African American doctors worked to end segregation in all Atlanta hospitals. Their work became a model for hospitals across the country. The National Medical Association honored them for this achievement.

Clayton then led the Atlanta Model Cities program. This was a government-funded group that worked to make desegregated neighborhoods better. Through this program, Clayton met Calvin Craig. He was a leader of the Georgia Ku Klux Klan. Craig later said that Clayton's influence helped him decide to speak out against the Klan in April 1968.

A Career in Television

In 1967, Xernona Clayton made history. She became the first Southern African American to host a daily prime time talk show. This show was on WAGA-TV in Atlanta and was later called The Xernona Clayton Show.

In 1979, Clayton joined Turner Broadcasting. She started as a producer for special documentaries. In the 1980s, she became the director of public relations for Turner Broadcasting. By 1988, Turner Broadcasting promoted Clayton to corporate vice president for urban affairs. In this role, she managed Turner projects and connected the company with community groups. Clayton retired from Turner Broadcasting in 1997. She called it a "professional transition."

Clayton is still active today. She serves on the board of directors for the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. In 1991, she wrote her life story, I've Been Marching All The Time. The book shared her life and her thoughts on the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1993, Clayton worked with Turner Broadcasting to create the Trumpet Awards. These awards celebrate the achievements of African Americans. She is now the chair, president, and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation. In 2004, Clayton also created the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Personal Life

Clayton was a member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This was where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the pastor.

Clayton was married to Ed Clayton from 1957 until he passed away in 1966. He also worked with Dr. King. She helped update a book about Martin Luther King Jr. that her late husband had written. It is called The Peaceful Warrior.

After her first husband's death, Clayton married Paul L. Brady in 1974. He was the first African American to be appointed as a Federal Administrative Law Judge. Brady and Clayton have two children from Brady's previous marriage, Laura and Paul Jr.

Honors and Recognition

Many groups and organizations have honored Xernona Clayton for her work.

In 2005, Tennessee State University honored Clayton at their Blue and White All-Star Academy Awards. Her footprints were added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2006. On May 1, 2011, she received the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Detroit branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also received the Local Community Service Award from Spelman College in 2004.

In September 2011, the Atlanta City Council renamed a street and a plaza in downtown Atlanta in her honor. The Mattel Toy Company even created a "Xernona Clayton Barbie" doll in her honor in 2004.

Xernona Clayton has received many awards worldwide for helping others. These include:

• Bronze Women of the Year for Human Relations, 1969
• Communications Woman of Achievement Award by the Atlanta Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, 1984–85
• Superior Television Programming Award by Iota Phi Lambda sorority, 1971
• Named one of Georgia's Most Influential Women 1984 and Black Georgian of the Year 1984
• Included in Leadership Atlanta, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 1971
• Named Bethune-Tubman Woman of the Year Award, Chicago, 1985
• Named Woman of the Year by Black Women Hall of Fame foundation, 1985
• The Kizzy Award 1979
• Humanitarian Award, Hillside International Truth Center, 1986
• First Black woman to receive The Trailblazer Award by the Greater Atlanta Club Business and Professional Woman
• Named one of the nation's Top 100 Black Business and Professional Women by Dollars and Sense Magazine, 1985
• One of Seven Atlanta honorees for Black Achievers Award by the Equitable, 1986
• Inducted into the Academy of Women Achievers by the YWCA, 1986
• Communications Award by the OICs of America, 1986
• American Spirit Award by the United States Air Force Recruiting Service, 1987
• Received the President's Award by the National Conference of Mayors, 1983

On International Women's Day in 2023, the City of Atlanta revealed a statue of Clayton. It stands in the plaza that is also named after her on West Peachtree Street. This location is special to Clayton. During the Civil Rights Movement, she was once "thrown out of a hotel" on that very street.