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 12^th 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 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