Generating Connection
Sunday, June 1, 2025 - World Intergenerational Day
The Shrine of the Black Madonna was suffused with neighborly love this Sunday as NPU-T residents gathered for Generating Connection—a celebration of art, storytelling, and intergenerational community building. Hosted by the NPU-T Intergenerational Committee in partnership with the Morehouse College Community Revitalization Initiative and Scraplanta Creative Reuse, the event offered more than just a good time—it was a carefully crafted step toward healing the social disconnection that many neighbors have felt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, our community survey of older residents revealed a pressing desire for deeper relationships with newer and younger neighbors. Seniors expressed interest in “bridging the gap” within the community—to not only meet one another but to share wisdom, learn, and appreciate the unique gifts each neighbor brings. Generating Connection was envisioned as a living answer to that call.
In recent years, national public health leaders have echoed the urgency of this work. In his 2023 advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy emphasized that while we often assume loneliness primarily affects older adults, young people are in fact the most deeply impacted. His solution? Genuine social connection, especially across generations.
Throughout the event, participants were invited to partake in an interactive art activity led by Scraplanta, a local nonprofit that diverts creative supplies from landfills and promotes sustainability through art. Using donated and salvaged materials, attendees were invited to make collages that expressed themes of connection, memory, and belonging. As neighbors sat side by side choosing textures and colors, the simple act of creating became a doorway to conversation and relationship.
Then came the performances, each one a thread in a larger story:
Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. opened with a searing and affirming spoken word performance, infusing the room with pride and presence. Known nationally for “You So Black,” her voice set a tone of radical self-love and cultural reverence.
Janice Sikes Rogers, a neighborhood historian and author, offered a rich narrative of Atlanta’s Black legacy and the changing face of West End. Her words wove together remembrance and responsibility.
Andre Bryant, visual artist and longtime media voice, shared his journey from helping launch WCLK as a Clark College student to his current work in visual arts. His story bridged media, memory, and creativity.
B. Omolara Lacy, who dedicates herself to the the community daily through her work as a nurse for Grady Health Services, demonstrated how she had leveraged her skills as a former hairdresser into vibrant mixed-media profiles of Black Femininity.
Michele Lewis, who regaled the audience with two Brazilian pieces performed on violin and invited participants to visit her interactive exhibit titled “You’re never too old or too young to play”, where they could put their hands on one of over a dozen different musical instruments designed to spark their imagination.
Janet Saboor, a master quilter, displayed and discussed her narrative textile pieces, reminding the audience that storytelling doesn’t always come in paragraphs—it can live in fabric, needle, and thread.
Nhathaniel Placide, a poet and community organizer, shared tender and grounded reflections, reminding us that connection often begins with listening—and with words from the heart.
Portia Black, pediatric nurse and line dance instructor extraordinaire, closed the program by getting everyone on their feet. The room filled with movement and laughter as everyone danced shoulder to shoulder to Wobble and Boots on the Ground, proof that joy is indeed a form of connection.
Throughout the afternoon, neighbors lingered, reflected, created, and connected. Many expressed a desire for more gatherings like this—events that don’t just entertain but make space for real relationships to bloom.
In the U.S., opportunities to form friendships across generations are still far too rare. But NPU-T is imagining something different: a community where everyone is invited to help shape the spaces we share, and where the wisdom of each generation is not only welcomed but essential.
Sunday’s event reminded us that connection isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. And in NPU-T, it’s a value we’re choosing to build on—together.