Xernona Clayton born August 30, 1930 in Muskogee, Oklahoma is a civil rights leader and Broadcasting executive.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Ms. Clayton was an active participate on the front lines. She would organize events for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), under the direction of Martin Luther King. She would develop a deep friendship with Dr. King's wife Coretta Scott King.
Ms. Clayton persistent fight for human rights has been credited by the 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 is plays an active role in numerous organzation across the country. She is on the board of directors for The King Center.
She has published her 1991 autobiography, I've Been Marching All The Time.
In 1993, Ms. Clayton created the Trumpet Awards along with Turner Broadcasting to honor exceptional African American.