On March 8, 2023, International Women’s Day was off to a celebratory start in Atlanta Georgia. On a brisk and sunny morning, the unveiling of civil rights leader and broadcasting legend Xernona Clayton’s statue brought dozens of people into the Xernona Clayton Plaza in downtown Atlanta GA.

The enthusiasm and excitement pulsating from the crowd could be heard from blocks away as the crowd surrounding the statue continued to grow. In attendance were Xernona's close friends and central figures in her life.

Xernona’s immediate impact on many of her guests was clear. A common theme throughout the ceremony was the running gag of each presenter being one of many “boyfriends” that she had acquired. Each person who took to the stage not only had personal commentary of how Xernona’s trailblazing led them to where they are today either in a professional or personal capacity, but of her role in the civil rights movement as well.

All of this spoke to the very nature of Xernona’s ethos throughout her career and her fearlessness and tenacity, while always staying ahead of the curve.

Great emphasis was put on celebrating Xernona now, while she is still alive to feel those warm sentiments.

This is not the first time Xernona has been immortalized in the city. In 2011, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, along with former Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, honored her with a street named Xernona Clayton Way; which is located at the intersection of Baker and Peachtree Street. She was the first African-American woman to have a street in downtown Atlanta named after her.

The statue is purposefully located across the street from the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, or as Xernona referred to it, “The Hotel of Hope”. During the Civil Rights Movement, she and many other prominent members of the movement would hold their strategy meetings at the Hyatt. The hotel was also the last place Xernona would see the late civil rights icon and close friend Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. alive.