LAS VEGAS, July 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Xernona
Clayton, who broke race and gender barriers in national broadcast
TV and worked closely with Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. to end racial inequality in America, will
talk about her life and experiences at the 2018 Women's Leadership
Conference (WLC).
The conference, in its 12th year, is sponsored by The
MGM Resorts Foundation. It will be held Aug.
27-28 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV.
"We are honored to have Xernona, a civil rights icon and
philanthropist, appear at WLC," says Phyllis A. James, Chief Diversity and Corporate
Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts. "She has an incredible life
experience of breaking glass ceilings in the 1960s, fighting
against racial and social injustice and promoting recognition of
African American culture and contributions to America through the
Trumpet Awards. Her history and life's work will surely resonate
with attendees."
Clayton is the Founder, President and CEO of the Trumpet Awards
Foundation, Inc. and Creator and Executive Producer of the
Foundation's Trumpet Awards. The Trumpet Awards, a prestigious
annual event which recognizes outstanding African American
accomplishments, has been televised annually for over 25 years and
distributed internationally to over 185 countries around the
world.
Clayton began her television career in 1967 and became the
south's first African American to host a daily prime time
television talk show. The Xernona Clayton Show was a regular
feature on WAGA-TV, CBS affiliate in Atlanta. After joining Turner Broadcasting in
1979, she worked there for nearly 30 years as a corporate executive
in a variety of roles, and became one of the highest-ranking female
employees within the company.
Clayton worked with the National Urban League in Chicago to expose racial discrimination by
white employers against African Americans, and later moved to
Atlanta in 1965 where she worked
closely with the late Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. at the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. Clayton also traveled extensively with Mrs.
Coretta Scott King on her nationwide
tours.
Dedicated to promoting racial understanding, Clayton has been a
leader in civic projects and civil rights activities for several
years. In 1966, she coordinated the activities of Atlanta's Black doctors in a project called
Doctors' Committee for Implementation, which resulted in the
desegregation of all hospital facilities in Atlanta. This project served as a model and a
pilot for other states throughout the country and received national
honor from the National Medical Association for its impact.
Her persistent fight against the dragons of prejudice and
bigotry was never more apparent than in 1968, when Calvin Craig, the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux
Klan, denounced the Klan and credited her influence with his
change.
Clayton is author of the autobiography "I've Been Marching All
the Time," and co-author of "The Peaceful Warrior," a biography of
Dr. King. She has been widely recognized for her professional and
humanitarian efforts – including the first Coretta Scott King Award from the SCLC (Southern
Christian Leadership Conference); the Madam C. J. Walker Award from
EBONY'S Outstanding Women in Marketing and Communications; the
President's Award by the National Conference of Mayors; the
Mickey Leland Award, named after the
late U.S. congressman, bestowed on her by NAMIC (the National
Association of Minorities in Cable); the Distinguished Leadership
Award from NAFEO (The National Association for Equal Opportunity in
Higher Education); as well as renaming of a street and park plaza
in downtown Atlanta (at the
intersection of Peachtree Street and Baker Street) in her
honor.
She has received Honorary Doctorate of Letters Degrees from
Clark Atlanta University, Tennessee State University and Alcorn State University. A school was recently
named in her honor in Ghana,
West Africa.
Clayton is married to Judge Paul L.
Brady, and is a member of Ebenezer
Baptist Church, formerly co-pastored by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., and a member of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Conference background:
The 2018 Women's Leadership
Conference theme is "Women Inspiring Women." Registration is
$499 which includes the two-day
conference and all workshops and lectures, a networking reception,
and continental breakfasts and lunches catered by MGM Grand
Conference Center. Each year, proceeds from the conference, after
costs, are donated to one or more local nonprofit agencies devoted
to the welfare and development of women and children.
Participating sponsorships are available to organizations or
companies who share the vision and goals of this conference.
Sponsors include: Cox Communications, Everi Payments, R&R
Partners Foundation, Cirque du Soleil, Kre-8 Media Outdoor
Advertising, International Game Technology, Vegas PBS, Greenspun
Media Group, Las Vegas Metro
Chamber of Commerce, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Branch
Benefits Consultants, TYLT, Coola, Cashman Photo, Phyllis A. James, Women's Chamber of Commerce of
Nevada, Waggl, Las Vegas
Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Large Vision
Business Network Mixer, International Coach Federation, Coaching by
Wendy and Southern Nevada Water Authority.
For more information about WLC, please visit
mgmresortsfoundation.org/WLC.
About the MGM Resorts Foundation
The purpose of The
MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and
assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) for the aid
and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or
organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts' employees. In
addition, the Foundation collects and distributes donations to the
Foundation by third-party non-employees to support charitable,
scientific, literary, and educational activities approved by the
Foundation's Board of Directors and organized by MGM Resorts
employees to benefit qualified non-profit charitable organizations
designated by the Foundation's Board.
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SOURCE MGM Resorts Foundation