“without the arts…..the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.”

 - Congressman john lewis

The District V “Honor Mural” featuring Roslyn Pope is a creative and cultural collaboration located on the sunrise-facing side of the historic Atlanta Daily World Building. The public art project led by Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate, The Loss Prevention, and Brian Simons, is in partnership with Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.

Photo credit: Drew Perlmutter
Illustration by: Clay Kiningham

LEARN MORE ABOUT CIVIL SIGHTS AND HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.

Civil Sights transcends the traditional boundaries of a book to become a living, breathing cultural exchange. At its heart lies an invitation: join us in preserving and reinvigorating civil rights history, ensuring its vital lessons resonate with future generations.

This preservation takes many forms. While we document and restore physical landmarks, we also celebrate the dynamic cultural heritage they represent. Every site holds countless stories waiting to be told - through oral histories, photography, music, murals, literature, theater, dance, and innovative digital experiences. Each medium offers a unique lens through which to understand and connect with this profound legacy.

Though Civil Sights serves as both historical record and practical guide, its true purpose runs deeper. We envision it as a catalyst for connection and creativity, inspiring individuals to engage with this shared history through their own unique talents and interests. Whether you're an artist, educator, historian, technologist, or simply someone who cares deeply about civil rights, your perspective enriches this ongoing dialogue.

We warmly welcome your contributions and collaboration. Have a story to share? A partnership to propose? A creative vision to explore? Reach out to us. Your passion is the only prerequisite for joining this vital conversation about our collective past and its enduring relevance to our future.

Collaborators & partners

  • Inspired by a vibrant, culturally rich upbringing in New Orleans, LA, Gene Kansas has established himself as a visionary champion of historic preservation, adaptive reuse, community building, and storytelling through the built environment. Each Gene Kansas project masterfully blends an appreciation of culture and history with creative, responsible, and vital refashioning, bringing new relevance to space and how it is used and enjoyed.

    An award-winning historic preservationist and real estate developer, Gene leads with passion and purpose, combining bold, forward-thinking vision with a mindset of giving back. At Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate, a firm dedicated to culturally connecting people and place, Gene and team focus on building up history, not over it.

    Gene is also Founder of Constellations, "where stars come together to shine," a thoughtful and supportive, culturally based workspace in Atlanta's historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood focused on civic and social difference-making.

    A distinguished writer, Gene is the author of Civil Sights (University of Georgia Press, February 2025), and has been published in the AJC, Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and numerous other prestigious publications. As creator and host of award-winning Sidewalk Radio, Gene spent five compelling seasons exploring life in the modern city through the lens of history and the context of community on Atlanta's AM 1690 "Voice of the Arts."

    A passionate educator and speaker, Gene has guest lectured at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, University of Arizona, SCAD, The New School and other institutions, while regularly speaking for public and private organizations. Sharing knowledge and experience while learning with and from others remains central to his mission and approach.

    Among his numerous accolades, Gene received the 2016 Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as the 2016 Alonzo F. Herndon Business Award from the South-View Historic Preservation Foundation, and multiple development of excellence awards from local, state, and national preservation and real estate organizations alike.

    Gene holds a BS in Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science in Digital Media from Georgia Tech, where he now serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Ivan Allen College. Married to DeAnna Kansas, the couple have a son, Levi, who adores the Atlanta Botanical Garden where Gene serves on the Board of Trustees.

  • Clay Kiningham, Architect and Artist, holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in architecture from Georgia Tech, where he received the M.Arch program’s Top Designer award. As a licensed professional, Clay has experience designing a variety of building types. Outside of his work in the field, Clay teaches architecture design studios at Georgia Tech.

    As an Artist, Clay is fascinated with preservation through drawing the built environment. His portfolio ranges from freehand drawings of Atlanta neighborhoods to detailed illustrations with Emory University’s archaeological team in Samothrace, Greece. In 2024, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation recognized him with the J. Neel Reid Prize for his commitment to preserving history through art. His artwork is online, and in publications such as Visual Communication for Architects and Designers, Architecture MasterPrize, and various Georgia Tech School of Architecture publications. When Clay isn’t sketching old buildings or designing new ones, you might catch him on his bike in Atlanta, where he lives with his wife Anna.

Editorial & Creative

J. Trevor Williams, Editor

Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster, Cultural Editor and Author of the Afterword

Gary M. Pomerantz, Author of the Foreword

Brian Simons, Creative Director

Molly Slavin, Proof Reading & Curriculum

Ellen Goldlust, Copyeditor

true friends & supporters

James William Allen III, Helen McGaughy, Jason Orme, Jonathan Lawrence, Anuj Desai, Michelle Davis, and Matt Wilson

UGA Press

In gratitude to the University of Georgia Press
Published in association with Georgia Humanities

Nate Holly, Elizabeth Adams, Jon Davies, Candice Lawrence, & Lisa Bayer

Civil Sights is dedicated to Sweet Auburn and to the preservation of its history and culture.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PRESERVATION PARTNERS

Atlanta Preservation Center • The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation • National Trust for Historic Preservation • Atlanta History Center • Global Atlanta • Georgia Humanities • Auburn Avenue Research Library • Arnall Golden Gregory llp • Constellations • Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate