‘Hidden hero': The overlooked civil rights activism of Adjua Naantaanbuu
Overlooked by history, even a photo in a $50,000 city exhibit misidentifies her
This photo exhibit installed with a $50,000 city grant at Memphis International Airport misidentifies the woman walking beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his final trip to Memphis in 1968. She is Adjua Naantaanbuu, an unsung activist who picked up King at the airport on April 3, 1968, and drove him to a strategy meeting. (Karen Pulfer Focht / Special to The Daily Memphian)
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The Institute for Public Service Reporting
The Institute for Public Service Reporting is based at the University of Memphis and supported financially by U of M, private grants and donations made through the University Foundation. Its work is published by The Daily Memphian through a paid-use agreement.
As Memphis’ pandemic-delayed Africa In April festival starts Friday, supporters say it’s time to honor one of its early organizers, Adjua Naantaanbuu.
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The Institute for Public Service Reporting is based at the University of Memphis and supported financially by U of M, private grants and donations made through the University Foundation. Its work is published by The Daily Memphian through a paid-use agreement.
Marc Perrusquia
Marc Perrusquia is the director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis, where graduate students learn investigative and explanatory journalism skills working alongside professionals. He's won numerous state and national awards for government watchdog, social justice and political reporting. Follow the Institute on Facebook or Twitter @psr_memphis.
Rachel Heimann Mercader
Rachel Heimann Mercader is a freelance journalist in Memphis. She is a 2020 graduate of Rhodes College and a recent editorial assistant for the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.
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