Xernona Clayton, General Consul Randy E. Rolle, and West Point on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life as we celebrate the lives of men and women of our military. We will hear from active duty and veterans who will share personal stories and highlights from their military careers and the next chapter in their lives. All have roles that made them the "first" in many endeavors throughout their lives and in the military. We will hear about their many acts of courage and sacrifice that embody servant leadership that will empower, inspire, and motivate listeners.

On Saturday, September 13, 2014, hear from three individuals who are leaders from various sectors like philanthropy, government, and our military.

Founder of Trumpet Awards, Xernona Clayton

We will hear from the legendary Civil Rights and trailblazer, Xernona Clayton. Listen to her share stories from chapters of her life that have captivated our country for several decades. From Civil Rights to adviser to Ted Turner to Founder of the Trumpet, Ms. Clayton has Been Marching All The Time.

General Consul to Atlanta, Randy E. Rolle

Ms. Clayton inducted the Prime Minster of the Bahamas, The Honorable Perry Gladstone Christie, into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in January 2014 during the 22nd Trumpet Awards. Shortly after meeting Prime Minister Christie in Atlanta, the idea to bring the military families to the Bahamas was birthed. Hear more about the Islands of the Bahamas from The Bahamas Consul General to Atlanta, The Honorable Randy E. Rolle. Listen to him share about his leadership, mentoring youth, and helping bring the message of a peaceful nation to our airwaves.

And lastly,  we will hear from Captain Bryant L. Waston of West Point. Hear him give the history of the 200 year on military academy founded by President Thomas Jefferson. Listen to Captain Waston share how West Point has molded leaders of our country for two centuries and why he chose to attend West Point. Listen to his passion for leading as he shares how West Point prepared him to help seek out the next generation of leaders for West Point and our country.

As Living Your Best Life Radio embarks on an adventure of a lifetime, sponsoring a wedding for one lucky military couple to be married in the Bahamas, stay tuned for weekly updates and more great interviews from leaders who have globe influence. Living Your Best Life Radio is heard on 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, the Inspirational Network, military bases, Tune In, and streamed live at Ustream.TV from 9-10AM CST.


More About Xernona Clayton

Xernona Clayton at her 84th Birthday Party in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Xernona 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 is a prestigious event highlighting African American accomplishments and contributions.  Initiated in 1993 by Turner Broadcasting, the Trumpet Awards has been televised annually and distributed internationally to over 185 countries around the world.

Ms. 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.

Xernona 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.  As a corporate executive, Ms. Clayton was one of the highest-ranking female employees in Turner Broadcasting System.

Xernona 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.  Ms. Clayton also traveled extensively with Mrs. Coretta Scott King on her nationwide concert tours.

More About the Islands of the Bahamas

The Bahamas is comprised of 700 islands sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean starting just 50 miles off the coast of Florida. The archipelago is an ecological oasis featuring 2,000 breathtaking islands and cays and boasts the clearest water on the planet—with a visibility of over 200 feet. You can see your toes as easily as you can the world’s third largest barrier reef.


We invite you to explore all of our islands. One step and you’ll realize our beauty extends far beyond our extraordinary natural wonders. It’s the smiles on the faces of the Bahamian people. The unique sounds of our rich culture. The warm hospitality of our heritage and our colorful history.

More About Captain Bryant L. Waston
 

Captain Bryant L. Waston

CPT Bryant L. Watson graduated in 2010 from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry.  At West Point, he double majored in Economics and Arabic. His most memorable experiences were studying abroad in Morocco , solo piloting a helicopter, and spending weekends with fellow cades in New York City. After graduation, he joined the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany and deployed with them to Paktika Province, Afghanistan. There, he led an Infantry Platoon and partnered with local Afghan forces to interdict enemy movement. Returning to Germany, he helped deactivate the 172nd as both a platoon leader and adjutant to the Battalion Commander. CPT Bryant Watson joins the admissions team by way of Fort Stewart, Georgia where he last served as an executive officer. He and his wife, Anna, have one-year old daughter, Eleanor.

Will Harper and Dr. Dick Barnett on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

 Update: Audio can be found here of Will Harper and here of Dr. Barnett.

During the last several weeks more people have been discussing the NBA and  the actions of Donald Sterling than the NBA Playoffs. Living Your Best Life joins the dialogue by having honest conversations without punditry back and forth that will address issues that have not only plagued the NBA but our country for decades.

Will Harper

Dr. Dick Barnett

On Saturday, May 17, 2014 Emmy Award winner, CEO, producer, and director of The Global Touch Group , Will Harper and NBA legend, author, lecturer, and educator, Dr. Dick Barnett, will share their thoughts on sports and entertainment and how they are defining our culture today.

Nelson Mandela and Will Harper

Oprah Winfrey and Will Harper

Xernona Clayton and Will Harper

Will Harper will share lessons learned from working with Nelson Mandela, Oprah, Xernona Clayton, Issac Hayes, Lenny Krazit, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and ESPN to name a few and how he grew as a person from each encounter. Harper will share how the timing of Donald Sterling's debacle coincides with a future documentary that Harper is planning to produce. The documentary will explore the history of the NBA through the eyes of the original Harlem Globetrotters and NBA players like New York Knicks' Dr. Dick Barnett.

Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, and Dr. Dick Barnett

  TSU, NAIA Basketball National Champions1957-59

New York Knicks 1970 NBA Champions

Dr. Dick Barnett, nicked named "Fall Back Baby" because of his famous jump shots, will weigh in on the Donald Sterling mayhem as well. He will share his thoughts about the ongoing systemic issues in the NBA from a player's perspective and share why he believes professional athletes must take ownership of not using their collective financial power to bring about more drastic changes in the NBA and in the communities many come from prior to becoming successful athletes.

Global Citizens, Will Harper and Dr. Dick Barnett, will empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life. Living Your Best Life,  can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network (XM 142).

More about Will Harper

Will Harper and Ambassador Andrew Young

Will Harper and Madame Bernadette Christie, First Lady of the Bahamas

“Why change a Picasso”, – Clint Eastwood about Will Harper’s film “The making of “Bird”- a behind the scenes documentary on Charlie “Bird” Parker, starring Forest Whitaker

During the course of his production career Will Harper conceptualized, produced and directed a plethora of projects for Oprah, Clint Eastwood, Lenny Kravitz, Jamie Foxx, Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Universal, ABC, CBS, ESPN, Leo Burnett and others. Possessing a unique and diverse repertoire of skills collected from his experience from major studios to independent projects all over the world (Europe, South Africa, South America, Central America, Middle East, Asia, Caribbean & U.S.). Harper is one executive whose extensive production background bestows a powerful contribution upon each and every project.

Harper’s business acumen, market sensibilities, extensive knowledge that includes every aspect of production from inception to completion and his ability to combine effective story-telling with visually-stimulating images, have established him as one of the most comprehensive producers/directors in show business. He received an Emmy Award for creating original children's programming for Westinghouse.
  original children’s programming for Westinghouse.or creating
In 2002, Harper founded The GlobalTouch Group (GTG), an hybrid branding and marketing agency. GTG’s portfolio includes television shows on major networks and branding campaigns that have tremendously increased market share for businesses worldwide.

More About Dr. Dick Barnett

Dr. Barnett in the studios with Genma Holmes

Richard “Dick” Barnett began his basketball career playing for Gary Roosevelt High School in Indiana where he led his team to the state championship. In 1955, Barnett came to Tennessee State A&I (now Tennessee State University) to become arguably the best player in the university’s history. Today, he remains TSU’s all time leading basketball scorer with 3,209 career points from 1955-1959. He, along with the “whiz kids” were under the leadership of Basketball Hall of Fame Coach John B. McLendon. The Tigers won an unprecedented three consecutive NAIA National Basketball Championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959 and became the first historically black college to ever win an integrated national championship. During those championship seasons, Barnett was a three time All-American and was named the NAIA Tournament MVP for two consecutive years. His 1957 All-American honor marked the first time an African American was ever named to the National All-American team.

Barnett was a number one draft choice in the National Basketball Association with the Syracuse Nationals. He played in the American Basketball League with the Cleveland Pipers owned by George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees in 1962 and led them to an ABL Championship. Dick Barnett rejoined the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and played with the likes of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for three seasons. He was later traded to the New York Knicks where he played on the only two championship teams in Knicks’ history (1970 and 1973). His number was retired and hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. Dick Barnett retired as an active player in the 1970s after a long fifteen-year professional career. He continued to pursue his educational studies and received a Doctoral degree in education from Fordham University. Dr. Barnett is now President of ARM, the Athletic Role Model Educational Institute, a non-profit organization with a focus on education for at risk students. He has recently been named the Commissioner of the WBL, a professional basketball league in New York. Dr. Barnett has been inducted into the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee State University Sports Hall of Fame (1983), Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2005) and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007). He is the first TSU athlete to ever have his jersey retired (#35).

Photo credits: Will Harper, Genma Holmes, Dr. Dick Barnett, TSU and New York Knicks Archives