Atlanta Black Excellence On Display In New Photo Shoot

Myke Johns • Jul 13, 2018

Pictured from left, Andre Castenell, Brenda Nicole Moorer, Jayme Alilaw, Chris Thomas Hayes, Okorie Johnson, Mike Jordan, Karen Ceesay, Kirsten King and Kamal Grant.

Credit Stacey Bode

This spring, as the glamour of the Oscars was hitting the red carpet, a number of celebrities posed for Vanity Fair photographer Mark Seliger.

You may remember one particular portrait that went viral and included Shonda Rhimes, Angela Bassett, Donald Glover, Gabrielle Union, Ava Duvernay and many more … basically a who’s who of black excellence in Hollywood.

One member of the creative community of Atlanta saw that photo and decided to respond.

“City Lights” host Lois Reitzes spoke with Kirsten King of Dad’s Garage Theatre Company and Kamal Grant, owner of Sublime Donuts, about their own photo shoot.

Theirs featured members of Atlanta’s entertainment, literary and business communities, dressed to the nines. In addition to King and Grant, the photo features opera singer Jayme Alilaw; musician Okorie Johnson, also known as OK Cello; Dark Side of the Room improv comedian Andre Castenell; “The Walking Dead” cast member Karen Ceesay; Thrillist Atlanta’s founding editor Mike Jordan; singer Brenda Nicole Moorer; and improviser and puppeteer Chris Thomas Hayes.

“We’re not just a lot of black people here in Atlanta. We’re a lot of black people who are doing great things,” King says. “So that’s how I see and try to express my love for Atlanta for people who may not be from here and don’t know how dope we are.”

You can find more photos from the shoot on Facebook.