Downtown Atlanta Street Named for Female Civil Rights Pioneer

September 21,2011

A Downtown Atlanta street has been named in honor of civil rights activist and broadcasting pioneer Xernona Clayton, reports The Associated Press.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, members of the Atlanta city council and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Tuesday unveiled Xernona Clayton Way at the intersection of Baker and Peachtree streets.

Clayton is the first African-American woman and the second woman to have a downtown street named after her, following author Margaret Mitchell, according to The Associated Press.

The 81-year-old native of Muskogee, Okla., worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and in 1967 became the South's first African-American to host her own television show.

Clayton founded the Trumpet Awards, a prestigious event highlighting the contributions of black Americans.