“Welcome” Ukrainian Refuges in Georgia, USA.
In March of 2023 i began reaching out to the Ukrainian community in Atlanta Georgia area.
On the long driveway back to the main road, i sat in the car reviewing the images on the back of the camera. I knew I had captured something heavy, something deep and serious.
Olena and her twins fled a small suburb outside of Kyiv, escaping to Poland, hoping not to die along the journey. Olena told me the story of her neighbors being murdered, hoping they would not be raped or her husband and son be killed or taken away by the Russian army, so they fled.
They placed signs in the car windows that said, “CHILDREN” . Hoping this would deter the Russian soldiers from shooting into their vehicle. Also rapping white cloth around the side mirrors , signaling we are civilians, we are not military. Olena could not find any white cloth, so she went to her daughter and asked if she could have the little white pillowcase off her favorite pillow she had just bought, it had little turtles on it.
This is jut one of the many stories I have heard while spending time with these brave and amazing people.
