Xernona Clayton
Encyclopedia
Xernona Clayton is a civil rights
leader and broadcasting
executive
.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Ms. Clayton was an active participant on the front lines. She organized events for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC), under the direction of Martin Luther King, and she developed a deep friendship with Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott King
.
Ms. Clayton's persistent fight for human rights
has been credited by a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan
with influencing him to denounce the Klan.
In 1968, Clayton became the first Southern African American
female to host a daily prime time
talk show
. The show was broadcast on WAGA
-TV in Atlanta and would eventually be renamed The Xernona Clayton Show.
Ms. Clayton plays an active role in organizations across the country, for instance, she is on the board of directors of The King Center.
In 1991, she published an autobiography, I've Been Marching All The Time.
In 1993, Ms. Clayton, in concert with her employer Turner Broadcasting, created the Trumpet Awards to honor exceptional diverse Americans.
Cherokee Americans
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leader and broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
executive
Corporate title
Publicly and privately held for-profit corporations confer corporate titles or business titles on company officials as a means of identifying their function in the organization...
.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Ms. Clayton was an active participant on the front lines. She organized events for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC), under the direction of Martin Luther King, and she developed a deep friendship with Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
.
Ms. Clayton's persistent fight for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
has been credited by a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
with influencing him to denounce the Klan.
In 1968, Clayton became the first Southern African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
female to host a daily prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
. The show was broadcast on WAGA
Waga
Waga is an isolated small town in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Administrated by Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha , it is part of the Padukka Divisional Secretary's Division. The town can be reached on road from Colombo via A4 road, turning off at either Meepe near Padukka or at Kaluaggala near Hanwella...
-TV in Atlanta and would eventually be renamed The Xernona Clayton Show.
Ms. Clayton plays an active role in organizations across the country, for instance, she is on the board of directors of The King Center.
In 1991, she published an autobiography, I've Been Marching All The Time.
In 1993, Ms. Clayton, in concert with her employer Turner Broadcasting, created the Trumpet Awards to honor exceptional diverse Americans.
External links
Cherokee Americans