Karlie Redd is headed back to Atlanta Central Library on Wednesday to host the second annual Courageous Awards, a free evening honoring domestic violence survivors during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The ceremony runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is presented by Redd's Big Heart Foundation.
According to rollingout.com, Redd will be joined by fellow Love & Hip Hop Atlanta star Yandy Smith, author and speaker Kie Fair, and former Georgia state Representative Erica Thomas Adeyemi. The event will take place at Atlanta Central Library, One Margaret Mitchell Square, per Sheen Magazine. As Atlanta News First describes it, the Courageous Awards is an annual event built around honoring survivors while inspiring healing and hope, now in its second year.
A Stage for Survivor Stories and Personal Testimony
Redd plans to share her own experience with domestic violence on stage, according to Sheen Magazine and Black Enterprise. The evening is designed around that kind of vulnerability, with a red carpet, survivor testimonials, guest appearances and information on local resources built into the program.
Black Enterprise reports the night will feature live survivor testimonials, resource networking sessions and public recognitions, giving attendees a chance to connect with support services alongside the ceremony itself, according to Black Enterprise. Erica Thomas Adeyemi, described by Sheen Magazine as a trailblazing former Georgia state representative, is also a survivor of domestic violence herself.
Why the Timing Matters in Georgia
The ceremony lands amid sobering numbers out of Georgia. The Georgia Commission on Family Violence counted 42,184 reported family violence incidents in 2024, a 12% jump from the year before, per the same rollingout.com account. The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported 163 domestic violence deaths and 118,600 crisis calls answered in 2023. Women made up 70% of reported victims, the outlet adds, citing the same data.
A separate fact sheet from the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence puts 2023's toll at 163 domestic violence deaths, broken down as 92 victims, 27 bystanders and 44 perpetrators, and notes that a firearm was the weapon used in 80% of those deaths. That same document counted 37,653 family violence incidents reported in Georgia during 2023 and found an 8% drop in crisis calls answered by certified agencies that year compared to 2022, alongside a 21.2% decline in incidents reported to law enforcement between 2019 and 2023.
The evening is designed to amplify survivor stories and inspire action for change, with a focus on healing and hope.
