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Adaku Utah

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Adaku Utah
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
OccupationHealer
Known forIntuitive healing, Social change
AwardsChicago Foundation for Women’s Jessica Eve Patt Award,2012 Center for Whole Communities Whole Thinking Fellowship Award.
Websiteadakuutah.com

Adaku Utah // (born 1984)[1] is a Nigerian sixth-generation Igbo traditional healer, speaker, writer and artist whose work focuses on gender, reproductive, race, youth and healing justice Civil rights movements for social change.[2] She is the cofounder of Harriet's Apothecary, an alternative healing community,[3] and a 2015 Create Change Fellow.[4]

Life

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Adaku Utah was born in 1991 in Lagos with father from Abia State, and mother from Imo State, both from southeastern Nigeria.[5] Utah is descendant of herbalists, and farmers who dealt in herbal treatments and ancient care, she was chronically ill as a child growing up and had to be treated with herbal medicine to better outcomes over orthodox medicines.[1] Utah received a BSc in Biotechnology and Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.[6]

As an activist, she has worked with organizations including the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Black Lives Matter, Black LGBTQI+ Migrant Project, The Movement for Black Lives, Yale University, Planned Parenthood, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Black Women's Blueprint, and the Audre Lorde Project.[7] As a performance artist, she had worked with Decadancetheatre[8] and founded Soular bliss.[9] Utah, who refers to herself as a queer,[2] lives in Brooklyn, New York.[10]

Recognition

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  • 2012: Sexuality Leadership Development Fellowship of the Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre.
  • 2012: Center for Whole Communities Whole Thinking Fellowship Award.
  • 2012: Featured Nominee for Girl Tank and MTV Voices 10,000 Names in 100 Days.
  • Chicago Foundation for Women's Jessica Eve Patt Award.

References

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  1. ^ a b Barber, Lauren (26 July 2017). "Harriet's Squad: Black Women Using Ancient Healing Methods as Resistance". ELLE. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "HEALER". ADAKU UTAH. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. ^ "WHO WE ARE". HARRIET'S APOTHECARY. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Meet Adaku Utah". The Laundromat Project. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  5. ^ "NYC 3.7.14 Nigerian Global Day of Action Speech, Nigerian LGBTQ Activist Adaku Utah | Nigeria | Hatred". Scribd. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Sexuality Leadership Development Fellowship". www.arsrc.org. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  7. ^ "TEACHER". ADAKU UTAH. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  8. ^ Boynton, Andrew. "A Dance Like Keith Haring Come to Life". The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  9. ^ "AdakuUtah". The Gemini Series. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Adaku Utah". A Blade of Grass. Retrieved 8 September 2020.