Overview

Witness to Beauty is a series of events and 3 Story Exhibits that explore the beauty of relationships from our community highlighting how connection and love bring everyone's gifts to the center of community life for us all to benefit.

Exhibits

Lois Curtis Beyond Olmstead

Lois Curtis is a disability rights icon. She and Elaine Wilson fought for the rights of people with disabilities to live in community and not be institutionalized. With Atlanta Legal Aid they took their fight all the way to the Supreme Court and won with the landmark Olmstead Decision. Lois’ exhibit looks beyond Olmstead and explores the Beauty she has given our community through the perspective of her Citizen Advocate Grover Hogan. Grover wants everyone to see Lois how he does… Lois Curtis Superstar!

Lois Curtis passed away at the age of 55 from pancreatic cancer on November 3, 2022.

Click Here to Read More About Lois and Olmstead.

A JOURNEY FORWARD

Eric Niandouba is an 18 year old who lives with his family in Clarkston and attends Stone Mountain High School. He came to live in our community as a refugee with his mothers and sister. Over the years with a Citizen Advocate alongside, Eric has fought to be in regular classrooms and receive a real education, his family became American Citizens, and he is now working on developing his own Advocacy organization. Eric has designed his exhibit with Citizen Advocate Jeremiah Long to show the future the Eric envisions for himself, along with his work as a Disability Justice Advocate. The exhibit includes a recorded speech (Watch Here), and Digital AI Generated Art created by Eric and Jeremiah depicting his Journey Forward.

ZOHRA the POETESS

Zohra Giliani lives in Downtown Decatur and is a recent graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and English with a Concentration in Poetry. Zohra explains “I have had a bad, difficult, and complicated life all my life.” She uses her gift and passion for poetry to take her life experiences and create something beautiful from them. As a young woman, Zohra has a lifetime ahead of her. We are excited to showcase her poetry during “Witness to Beauty,” and supporting Zohra in her career as a poet.