(Updated) The Woman Behind the Street-Name Debate: Xernona Clayton-Brady

Xernona Clayton-Brady, civil rights activist, Turner Broadcasting executive, Trumpet Awards co-founder, southwest Atlanta resident and the first black woman in the South to host her own talk show, came from wholesome family values and strong work ethic.

On Monday, the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to designate the intersections of Baker Street between Piedmont Avenue and Centennial Olympic Park Drive as the “Honorary Xernona Clayton Way.” The council also voted to name space in Hardy-Ivy Park as “Xernona Clayton Plaza,” in honor of the trailblazing broadcaster.

Clayton, a twin, was born on Aug. 30, 1930, in Muskogee, Okla., a city about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa. Her father was a Baptist preacher and her mother, part-Cherokee Indian, was a stay-at-home mom.

Clayton and her twin, Xenobia, left Oklahoma to study at Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville and graduated in 1952. Their father dreamed that he would see his youngest children graduate from college and that dream came true, though he passed on just six months later. In her 1991 autobiography, "I’ve Been Marching All the Time," Clayton-Brady credits her father for keeping her and Xenobia grounded and character built.

After TSU, Xernona went on to study at the University of Chicago and she joined the Urban League there to help that organization fight job discrimination. While in Chicago, her father’s influence on her earlier life started to flourish and she became engaged into different facets of Chicago life: religious, social and civic activities. It was in Chicago that she met and later married Edward Clayton who at the time was the executive director of Jet magazine.

When Jet moved Edward Clayton to Los Angeles, Xernona became a part of that city’s Urban League board and volunteered her time to the Los Angeles School’s Dropout program and brought it national attention.

In 1965, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and it was during this time that the Claytons left Los Angeles for Atlanta to work with the SCLC and Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Clayton worked in public relations for Dr. King and Mrs. Clayton worked as a traveling assistant to Coretta King.

A year after this move, 1966, Edward Clayton would pass away. Two years after that, King was assassinated.

Clayton-Brady stayed involved in Atlanta civil rights and social services groups and developed strong relationships with Atlanta leaders including  Atlanta Constitution editor, Ralph McGill. This friendship would prove positive for Clayton-Brady because he would recommend her for a future show.

Three months after King's assassination, on July 12, 1968, WAGA-TV launched Theme and Variations  with Clayton-Brady as host. The show was later changed to The Xernona Clayton Show and aired until 1975.  During this time, in 1974, she married Judge Paul L. Brady.

According to her book, the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Rome, Ga., invited her to speak while hosting her show but “dis-invited” her when they discovered she was black. The incident opened up more doors than it closed, however, including from the group's national organization to attend the annual convention in Hawaii.

Over the next few years Clayton-Brady created “Moments in History" that aired in every February for Black History Month and a began writing a column for Atlanta Voice. In the 1980s, she began producing special programs and documentaries for Ted Turner’s WTBS.

 In 1993, Clayton-Brady established the annual Trumpet Awards, which honors African-American leaders in a range of professional fields for their accomplishments.

Earlier this year, Clayton-Brady made news headlines after residents protested an Atlanta City Council plan to rename downtown Atlanta's Cone Street to Xernona Clayton Way in her honor.

The following sources were used to complete this column: I’ve Been Marching All the Time: An Autobiography by Xernona Clayton with Hal Gulliver; Notable Black Women: book II by Jessie Carney Smith; The National Park Service site on the International Walk of Fame http://www.nps.gov/features/malu/feat0002/wof/Xernona_Clayton.htm; Cascade Patch http:.

Editor's Note: This story first ran in February 2011 for our "Black History in Cascade" series.