BIOS
Guest Co-Readers
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston stands among the elite in the world of prosecution. She is one of only three African-American female District Attorneys in the State of Georgia, and among the rare one percent of African-American females currently serving as District Attorneys nationwide. In her capacity, DA Boston oversees the prosecution of felony offenses filed in the Superior Court of DeKalb County. Since taking the helm as District Attorney in 2017, Ms. Boston has restructured and redefined prosecution processes and increased the Office’s capacity to serve victims with an expanded victim services unit. Observers have taken notice of DA Boston’s efforts. She was recently lauded by Atlanta Magazine as one of metro Atlanta’s 500 Most Influential People. Through her work with the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution and the Fair and Just Prosecution initiative, DA Boston has also become an integral part of the national dialogue on criminal justice reform.
Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine brings almost 15 years of prosecutorial experience to her leadership and service. She has specialized in homicides, crimes against women and children, and human trafficking. Dalia also served as an Attorney Advisor with AEquitas, where she provided training and technical assistance around gender-based violence investigations and prosecutions to prosecutors, law enforcement, and allied professionals across the country. Dalia has championed the responsibility of elected prosecutors to keep their communities safe by implementing innovative practices and policies that reduce the number of repeat offenders who cause harm. Dalia has integrated Smart Justice while holding dangerous offenders accountable in our prison system. Additionally, Dalia has made it a priority for the District Attorney's office to be an integral part of our community and to keep servant leadership at the forefront of everything we do. She has lived in Douglas County for over 13 years with her husband, a Douglas County educator, and their 3 children.
David Quinn is a retired homicide detective with 30 years of service with the Atlanta Police Department. He has unparalleled skill and experience in law enforcement that is a direct result of a decades-long career starting as a patrolman assigned to the highest crime sectors in Atlanta, GA, to a decorated detective who participated in hundreds of homicide cases. During his service as a homicide detective, David was directly responsible for the investigation that resulted in the first successful gang prosecution in the history of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. Immediately after retirement, David was retained as a Consultant for the Atlanta Police Homicide Unit. He was responsible for mentoring and providing instruction, guidance, and historical perspective to detectives conducting criminal homicide investigations. Other responsibilities include periodical training in crime scene, interview and interrogation, cultivation of witnesses, and courtroom testimony.
Monica Kaufman Pearson is the first woman and first minority to anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta where she worked for 37 years at WSB TV. After being retired for 10 years, Mrs. Pearson was recently lured back into the business by Gray TV to host an hour long, monthly personality interview show, Monica Pearson One on One on Peachtree TV, WPCH-TV. During her 52 years in newspaper, public relations, radio, and television, she has won 33 Southern Regional and local Emmy Awards for reporting and anchoring, and for her former celebrity interview show, Closeups. Mrs. Pearson calls retirement “rewirement” and now is also a voice over artist, public speaker, emcee, and spokesperson. Mrs. Pearson is a native of Louisville, KY with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisville and a Master of Arts from the University of Georgia. She graduated Magna Cum Laude at the age of 67. She is married to John E. Pearson, Sr. and has a daughter and bonus son.
Motus Theater’s Collaborating Musicians
The ReMINDers are a rare and remarkable musical duo with undeniable magical chemistry, The ReMINDers transcend the bounds of expectation to uplift and entertain. They seamlessly blend razor-sharp rhythms and raw, soulful vocals with reggae-tinged hip-hop beats to highlight their relevant and inspiring messages. The couple shares a partnership in both music and life as Samir and Aja have been married for over a decade. The ReMINDers have been recognized and applauded for their work internationally through concerts, tours, music awards, and TV and radio appearances. They have shared the stage with artists such as Nas, Big Boi, and Ms. Lauryn Hill.
Motus Theater JustUs Monologists
Juaquin Mobley, JustUs Project Strategist & Project Host, is the Vice President of Community Works and co-owner of Community Ties and The Community Barber Shop based out of Colorado Springs. Juaquin helps those individuals who were recently incarcerated and/or at risk of becoming incarcerated manifest their limitless potential. Juaquin is a proud father of three beautiful girls. He refuses to let the next generation fall into the same traps as previous generations.
Colette Payne is an organizer, leader, student, mother, and grandmother. Her passion to educate families and build healthier communities manifests in her current role, where she helps engage women directly impacted by the criminal legal system, creating agents of change with solutions to end incarceration of women and girls. In 2015, Colette joined the delegation to assess women’s prisons in Illinois as the first formerly incarcerated woman in this role in the United States. Colette is living proof that change is possible.
Dereck Bell (aka N.I.F.F) is the lead artist in the hip-hop band N.I.F.F based out of Colorado Springs. He is the founder and owner of a marketing, promotions, and photography company called Still Maccin Entertainment Group LLC. In 2018, Bell was the Artist Auditions winner in Denver and the March Madness winner in Colorado Springs. In 2017, he was awarded the Best Collaboration award. Bell is a proud father and partner.
Motus Theater Artistic Director
Kirsten Wilson, is the Artistic Director, founder and visionary of Motus Theater. She is a narrative artist, editor and master teacher in the field of autobiographical monologue work. She has created several award-winning multi-media performances exploring history through the lens of race and class. She excels in supporting individuals in writing compelling narratives aimed at opening hearts and minds. Her work has been featured in media as diverse as Theater Magazine, Washington Post, NPR, FAST Company Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Latino USA and USA Today.
ABOUT MOTUS THEATER & THE JUSTUS TOUR
The mission of Motus Theater is to create original theater to facilitate dialogue on critical issues of our time. We aim to use the power of art to build alliances across diverse segments of our community and country. (Learn more about Motus Theater’s HERE.)
Motus Theater is bringing JustUs presentations to communities across the country in 2022-2024! These JustUs performances, presented in collaboration with DAs offices, share poignant personal stories of leaders who were formerly incarcerated, interwoven with powerful music, to expose the devastating impact of the criminal legal system and inspire action towards a vision of true justice. Monologists are joined on stage by District and State's Attorneys, DOC and law enforcement leaders, as well as journalists and other community leaders who co-read the monologists stories. (Learn more about JustUs tour HERE)
Learn more about Motus Theater’s staff team & board members HERE.
MOTUS THEATER’S SHARED HISTORY ACKNOWLEDGMENT & ACTION
Motus is committed not simply to acknowledging the stealing of indigenous land and the labor of racialized people, but to taking meaningful action to create a new, more equitable, and life-sustaining future for everyone in our country. As part of these actions, Motus creates performances that illuminate foundational patterns of exploitation in U.S. history, and shares autobiographical stories that disrupt false and dehumanizing narratives used to justify inhumane, racist, and exploitative policies. Motus Theater also provides 10% of the costs we pay in theater rental to the Native American Rights Fund (NARF).
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