Mrs. Xernona Clayton was born Xernona Brewster on August 30, 1930 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She and her twin sister Xenobia were daughters of Baptist minister Reverend James M. and Elliott (Lillie) Brewster. Her parents were administrators of Indian affairs in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Both Xernona and Xenobia were models from teenagers through early adult years.
Miss Brewster received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Tennessee State Agricultural and Industrial College (now, Tennessee State University) in 1952 and received a scholarship from the University of Chicago for graduate studies.
While Miss Brewster was a teacher in Chicago during the 1950s, she worked with the National Urban League. She volunteered for a school dropout program in Los Angeles, California in the early 1960s. Along with Coretta Scott King, Clayton organized various Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) events. She was also a columnist and journalist.
Mrs. Clayton moved to Atlanta in 1965 where she accepted a position with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked closely with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mrs. Clayton also traveled extensively with Mrs. Coretta Scott King on her nationwide concert tours.
Dedicated to promoting racial understanding, Xernona 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.