Xernona Clayton Brady | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1930-08-30)August 30, 1930 (age 95) |
| Alma mater | Tennessee State University (BA) University of Chicago (MA) |
| Occupation | Broadcastingexecutive |
| Known for | Civil rights activism |
| Spouse(s) | Ed Clayton(deceased) Paul L. Brady |
Xernona Clayton Brady (néeBrewster, born August 30, 1930) is anAmericancivil rights leader andbroadcastingexecutive. During theCivil Rights Movement, she worked for theNational Urban League andSouthern Christian Leadership Conference, where she became involved in the work of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Later, Clayton went intotelevision, where she became the first African American from thesouthern United States to host a dailyprime timetalk show. She became corporate vice president forTurner Broadcasting.[1]
Clayton created the Trumpet Foundation.[2] She was instrumental in the development of theInternational Civil Rights Walk of Fame that was developed by the foundation to honor the achievements of African Americans and civil rights advocates.[3] She convinced aGrand Dragon of theKu Klux Klan to denounce the Klan.[4] Clayton has been honored by theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the city ofAtlanta for her work.
Xernona and her twin sister Xenobia were born inMuskogee, Oklahoma, the daughters of Reverend James and Elliott (Lillie) Brewster. Her parents were administrators of Indian affairs in Muskogee, Oklahoma. In 1952, Clayton earned her undergraduate degree with honors fromTennessee State Agricultural and Industrial College inNashville, Tennessee. She majored inmusic and minored ineducation.[5] At Tennessee State, Clayton became a member of theAlpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[6] She is aBaptist.[7] She pursued graduate studies at theUniversity of Chicago.
Clayton began her career in theCivil Rights Movement with theNational Urban League inChicago, workingundercover to investigateracial discrimination committed by employers against African Americans.[8] Clayton moved toAtlanta in 1965, where she organized events for theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), under the direction ofMartin Luther King Jr. She developed a deep friendship with Dr. King's wife,Coretta Scott King.[8] Clayton and Scott King traveled together on concert tours. Although Clayton did not march with King, citing a fear of being arrested, Clayton helped plan King's marches.[5]
In 1966, Clayton coordinated the Doctors' Committee for Implementation, a group of African American physicians who worked for and achieved thedesegregation of all Atlanta hospitals. The Doctors' Committee served as a model for nationwide hospital desegregation, and was honored by theNational Medical Association.[6][9]
Clayton then headed the Atlanta Model Cities program, a federally funded group dedicated to improving the quality of desegregated neighborhoods. Clayton met Calvin Craig, theGrand Dragon of the GeorgiaKu Klux Klan, through the Model Cities program, as Craig served in a policy position with the organization. Craig cited Clayton's influence when he decided to denounce the Klan in April 1968.[7]
In 1967, Clayton became the first SouthernAfrican American to host a dailyprime timetalk show.[8] The show was broadcast onWAGA-TV inAtlanta and was renamed,The Xernona Clayton Show.[8] Clayton joinedTurner Broadcasting in 1979 as a producer of documentary specials.[10] In the 1980s, she served as director of public relations for Turner Broadcasting.[11] In 1988, Turner Broadcasting promoted Clayton to corporate vice president for urban affairs, assigning her to direct Turner projects and serve as a liaison between Turner Broadcasting and civic groups in Atlanta and throughout the country.[6] Clayton retired from Turner Broadcasting in 1997, choosing to call the retirement a "professional transition".[10]
Clayton serves on theboard of directors of theKing Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[8] She served on the Board of Review for the state of Georgia's Department of Labor.[11] In 1991, she published an autobiography,I've Been Marching All The Time, a title inspired by King.[5] The book focused on her life and her views of the Civil Rights Movement.[12]
In 1993, Clayton, with Turner Broadcasting, created the Trumpet Awards to honor achievements of African Americans.[6][13] She serves as the chair, president, and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation that was formed in late 2004.[6][14] In early 2004, Clayton created the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.[15]
Clayton is a member of theEbenezer Baptist Church, where Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. was the pastor.[6]
Clayton was married to Ed Clayton (who also worked with Dr. King)[6] from 1957 until his death in 1966. She co-authored a revised edition of her late husband's biography of Martin Luther King Jr. that is titledThe Peaceful Warrior.
Following her first husband's death, Clayton marriedPaul L. Brady, the first African American to be appointed as aFederal Administrative Law Judge,[16] in 1974.[12] Brady and Clayton have two children from Brady's previous marriage,[13] Laura and Paul Jr.
TSU honored Clayton at their Blue and White All-Star Academy Awards in 2005.[5] Clayton's footprints were added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2006.[9] On May 1, 2011, Clayton received theJames Weldon JohnsonLifetime Achievement Award from theDetroit branch of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[17] She received the Local Community Service Award fromSpelman College in 2004.[18]
In September 2011, theAtlanta City Council renamed a street and a plaza atHardy Ivy Park in downtown Atlanta in Clayton's honor.[19] In conjunction with theNational Newspaper Publishers Association, theAFC Enterprises Foundation awards an annual Xernona Clayton Black Press Scholarship amounting to $10,000 to a student pursuing adoctoral degree injournalism.[20] TheMattel Toy Company created a "Xernona ClaytonBarbie" doll in her honor in 2004.[5]
Xernona Clayton has been honored worldwide for her contributions to humanity, which includes: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 byIota Phi Lambda sorority, 1971; being named one ofGeorgia's Most Influential Women 1984 andBlack Georgian of the Year 1984; being included inLeadership Atlanta, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 1971; namedBethune-Tubman Woman of the Year Award, Chicago, 1985; namedWoman 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 receiveThe Trailblazer Award by the Greater Atlanta Club Business and Professional Woman; named one of the nation'sTop 100 Black Business and Professional Women by Dollars and Sense Magazine, 1985; being one of Seven Atlanta honorees forBlack Achievers Award by the Equitable, 1986; being inducted into theAcademy 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; and receiving thePresident's Award by the National Conference of Mayors, 1983.[21]
OnInternational Women's Day in 2023, theCity of Atlanta unveiled a statue of Clayton in the plaza also named in her honor on West Peachtree Street. The location in downtown Atlanta was symbolic for Clayton, as she had been "thrown out of a hotel"[22] on the street during theCivil Rights Movement.[23]
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