Jesse B. Slayton Sr., born December 6, 1897, in Fallis, Oklahoma, became a pioneering force in American business and media. In 1940, he purchased Atlanta’s WERD for $50,000, making him the first African American to own and operate a radio station in the United States. Six years later, he further broke barriers as Georgia’s first Black Certified Public Accountant. Through WERD, Blayton played a vital role in advancing the civil rights movement, offering a trusted platform for news, community mobilization, and speeches from influential leaders. The station even shared a building with Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, enabling WERD to broadcast messages that inspired action and strengthened the movement’s reach across the nation. #LBE #OnThisDay #OTD #jessebslayton #livedexperience #pioneer #atlanta #werd

Jesse B. Slayton Sr., born December 6, 1897, was a pioneering force in American media. In 1940, he purchased Atlanta’s WERD for $50,000, making him the first Black American to own and operate a radio station in the US.
#LBE #OnThisDay #OTD #jessebslayton #livedexperience #pioneer #atlanta #werd