Adaku Utah


Adaku Utah is a Nigerian-American sixth-generation Igbo traditional healer, speaker, writer, and artist. Her work centers on gender, reproductive justice, racial equity, youth empowerment, and healing justice movements for social change. She is the cofounder of Harriet's Apothecary, an alternative healing collective led by Black women and queer healers.

Life

Utah was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria. Her father is from Abia State and her mother from Imo State, both in southeastern Nigeria. She descends from a lineage of herbalists and farmers who practiced traditional healing. As a child, she experienced chronic illness and found greater relief through herbal medicine than conventional treatments. Utah earned a BSc in Biotechnology and Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.

Career

Utah is the Senior Manager of Movement Building Programs at the Building Movement Project, where she supports national convenings and leadership development for social justice organizations. She has worked with groups 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.
She is also a host and contributor to the Anti-Eugenics Project, which explores the legacy of eugenics and its impact on marginalized communities.
As a performance artist, Utah has collaborated with Decadancetheatre, and founded Soular Bliss, a creative wellness initiative. Utah is queer and resides in Brooklyn, New York.
She contributed to the anthology Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety, edited by Cara Page and Erica Woodland, alongside Prentis Hemphill.

Recognition

Utah has been recognised for her contributions with several awards: