Keynote Speaker Biographies

50th AnnuAl Dr. MArtin luther King, Jr. MeMoriAl BreAKfAst
50 Years of Service and Solidarity
Sunday, January 12, 2025
firesiDe ChAt guest speAKers
XernonA ClAyton
AnD
MoDerAtor
Xernona Clayton began her television career in 1967 and became the south’s first Black person to have
her own television show. The Xernona Clayton show was a regular feature on WAGA-TV, CBS affiliate in
Atlanta.
Clayton was employed at Turner Broadcasting for nearly 30 years where she served as a corporate executive. In 1988, Xernona Clayton was appointed Corporate Vice President for Urban Affairs with Turner
Broadcasting System, Inc. In this capacity, she directed internal and external projects for the Corporation,
and served as liaison between Turner Broadcasting (TBS SuperStation, CNN, Headline News, TNT, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks) and civic groups in Atlanta and across the country.
In 1965, she accepted a position with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked closely
with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ms. Clayton also traveled extensively with Mrs. Coretta Scott
King on her nationwide speaker 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.
More about Ms. Clayton: https://www.womenshistory.org/xernona-clayton
Jesse l. JACKson, Jr.
Jesse Louis Jackson, Jr. is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from Illinois’s 2nd
Congressional District from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is
the son of activist and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson and, prior to his career in elected office,
worked for his father in both the elder Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign and his social justice, civil
rights and political activism organization, Operation PUSH. Jackson’s then-wife, Sandi Jackson, served on
the Chicago City Council. He served as a national co-chairman of the 2008 Barack Obama presidential
campaign. Jackson established a consistent liberal record on both social and fiscal issues, and he has coauthored books on civil rights and personal finance.
Bro. ViC CArter
Bro. Vic Carter is a seasoned journalist who held a prominent anchor position at Baltimore’s WJZ-TV
(CBS) for many years. In 2024, he departed from that role. Throughout his career, Vic has traveled to numerous countries, including Liberia and Italy, as well as various locations across the United States. Notably,
he was the only Baltimore broadcast journalist to conduct his newscast from The Vatican following the
death of Pope John Paul II. Bro. Carter has had the opportunity to meet and interview some of the most
influential figures in the world, including Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald
Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. He has also engaged with other world leaders and historical figures such as Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Michael
Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, and Sidney Poitier, among many others.
By Authority: Friends of Bro. Opel Jones – Bro. Evan Jones: Treasurer
www.apakpl.org • AΦA Fraternity, Inc. – Kappa Phi Lambda (ΚΦΛ) Chapter
50th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast Celebration • Sunday, January 12, 2025
5

Paperturn flipbook system