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DECATUR, Ga. — In a rare and timely conversation at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, civil rights leader Xernona Clayton, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, and Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, gathered for a fireside chat focused on legacy, courage, and forward-thinking leadership. Moderated by DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, the conversation was part of “Trailblazers & Changemakers: A Fireside Chat,” and emphasized truth-telling as a foundation for national healing.
Clayton, a longtime activist and founder of the Trumpet Awards, shared her deeply personal story of building a relationship with Calvin Craig, a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan. Despite his past, Craig ultimately left the Klan and credited Clayton for helping shift his perspective.
“He told people I was a fine Black woman,” Clayton said. “Because of what he said about me, I was invited to his funeral, his wife’s funeral. I’m part of the family now,” she added, in a tone that was both humorous and sincere.
Former Gov. Barnes reflected on his own growth, crediting books like The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois and The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass as transformative in shaping his views.
“I wasn’t always this way,” Barnes said. “Every high school student should be required to read them.” He also spoke about his decision to remove the Confederate emblem from Georgia’s state flag, a move he said was not difficult once he committed to it. “Once you make your mind up, you just do what’s right,” he said. Barnes also recognized Coretta Scott King as someone who inspired him to pursue courageous choices in leadership.
Dr. King emphasized the need to engage with people’s full stories and not dismiss them based on surface-level views. “One of the skinheads that was part of our Beloved Community talks said he joined because he had such a dysfunctional family, he was looking for a family,” she shared. “When I reframed his narrative, it wasn’t much different from our children who end up in gangs. When we understand that, we can open up our minds and hearts and begin to connect with their humanity. It’s in there, you may have to work for it, but you’ve got to give up your right to be right in the process.”
CEO Cochran-Johnson added that responsibility for change does not rest solely on elected officials or clergy. “One of the things I love is the entire premise behind the Beloved Community and the call for civil obedience,” she said. “Dr. King’s letters from the Birmingham Jail—if you’ve never read them—they are forward-thinking and the greatest call for civil obedience I’ve ever read. They also made me reflect on the state of America today.”
The evening also featured a special performance by the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra with vocalist DenisèAnn Malcolm.
The full conversation is available to watch at YouTube.com/DeKalbCountyGov.
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