Highway dedicated in memory of Minnie Melton Saxton | News

“This was truly a wonderful celebration, and I was honored to sponsor legislation

during the 2023 legislative session to honor Mrs. Minnie Saxton, an excellent educator and mentor to Black students in the 1930s and 1940s in Jonesboro,” said Davenport.

Saxton, a well-known educator in Clayton County, was a 1905 graduate of Clark College, Atlanta. Saxton was born in Atlanta, the youngest of 12 children. According to the resolution passed by the General Assembly, Saxton was a “woman of deep and abiding faith” and an active member of South Atlanta United Methodist Church, serving in many capacities.

The resolution further reads that Saxton’s “significant organizational and leadership talents, her remarkable patience and diplomacy, and her keen sense of vision were great assets when she organized the first Rosenwald School for Black Children and spent 40 years ensuring quality education was provided.”

The resolution called for Ga. Highway 54 from mile marker 58 to mile marker 61 be dedicated as the Minnie Melton Saxton Memorial Highway.

At the dedication ceremony, greetings were presented by Sartor, Clayton County legislative delegation Chair Rep. Yasmin Neal, Georgia Department of Transportation board member Dana Lemon from the 13th District, and Sam Burston, vice president of external affairs for Clark Atlanta University.

Doris Clay Shedrick, an alumna of the school and Jonesboro native, presented a greeting letter from 13th District…