I believe

we can experience more healing and liberation in our bodies and the world. 

For over two decades, I have worked to make this more possible in cellular, systemic, and generational ecosystems.

One of the central questions that guide me is

How might connection, congruence, and care be more present and sustained, individually and collectively? 

As a grassroots strategist, social justice facilitator, holistic healer, somatics coach, and ritual artist, I get to be a part of listening and creatively responding to this and many connected questions.

I am deeply curious and committed to shaping our world towards more interdependence than violence. 

Born in Baltimore, and raised in Festac, Nigeria, I am a proud and humble Igbo queer, non-binary person deeply rooted and shaped by these lands and the organizing and healing legacy I call home.

I enjoy co-cultivating strategic, sustainable, and impactful social justice leaders and organizations. I find a lot of joy working with organizations and organizing campaigns committed to the liberation of people impacted by racism, sexism, transphobia, imperialism, and genocide. I am humbled to have worked locally, nationally, and internationally alongside organizations like the Movement for Black Lives, Soul Fire Farm, the Audre Lorde Project, the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Harvard University, and more. 

I am currently the Senior Manager of Movement Building Programs at the Building Movement Project, a national nonprofit organization that catalyzes social change through research, relationships, and resources. Here I get to work with movement-building organizations on short-term rapid-response
efforts and long-term projects to deepen solidarity within and across networks and ecosystems. I also uplift narratives through the Solidarity Is This podcast, conduct transformative trainings and workshops, and develop resources and tools to catalyze strategic solidarity practices.

Most recently, I was the Organizing Director at the National Network of Abortion Funds, building and mobilizing organizing power and movement-building efforts with 90+ member organizations, thousands of individual members, and network leaders across the country and world.

For the past 9 years, I’ve had the honor of co-facilitating Harriet’s Apothecary, an all-Black collective of healers, organizers, and artists committed to embodying Harriet Tubman’s legacy of centering abolition and healing justice in how we organize to create and sustain liberation and transformation. 

I am a Senior teacher and coach with BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), a national leadership training program designed to help rebuild Black social justice infrastructure to organize Black communities more effectively and re-center Black leadership in the U.S. social justice movement.

I also teach and coach with Generative Somatics, a national organization that supports social and climate justice movements in achieving their visions of a radically transformed society by bringing somatic transformation to movement leaders, organizations, and alliances. For 6 years, as a commitment to ending the racism and injustice in the food system, I served as a founding board member of Soul Fire Farm. I have served as a board member of the Women and Girls Collective Action Network, Third Root Education Exchange, and The Black Girl Project and the founding steering committee member and board member of the Chicago Freedom School.

Over the past few years, I’ve been humbled to have been recognized by my community in a number of ways including, 2023-2022 Auburn Seminary Sojourner Truth Reproductive Justice Fellow, 2022 Community Healing Network Community Healer Award, 2021 Experience Life Magazine Changemakers, 2020 Laundromat Project Community Impact Honoree, a 2017 Essence Magazine Woke 100 Change Maker and is a recipient of the 2017 Gye Nyame Empowerment Project My Sister's Keeper Award, the 2015 Blade of Grass Fellowship,  the 2015 Laundromat Project Create Change Fellowship and the 2012 Sexuality Leadership Development Fellowship with the Africa Regional Sexuality Resource Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. I give thanks to my beloved community for all the ways they see and nurture me.

In my spare time, I love playing with my nieces, Rose and Violet, and nerding out about astrology, herbs, erotica, and sci-fi.

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Testimonials

  • Adaku is one of the most thoughtful, thorough and engaging facilitators in the movement today. The loving agitation was really helpful at getting to the root of our next action steps.

    Florence G.

  • The human-to-human connection you created was moving...I so often forget that we, as a community, have everything we need within us, and have the power to cultivate love and compassion and growth. I get so swept up in the daily struggles that I forget to step back and reflect on the support I have in my communities. The space you created has been so incredibly powerful and nourishing and regrounding. I’m reminded why I do this work and power and compassion looks like.

    Denise P.

  • Adaku’s offering reminded me of a quote I first heard about about a decade ago “Sometimes a woman’s love is so strong, it can be felt through thousands of years.”

    Stella Y.

  • Adaku’s offering reminded me of a quote I first heard about about a decade ago “Sometimes a woman’s love is so strong, it can be felt through thousands of years.”

    Adjoa S.

  • Adaku, wowow i’m not sure where to begin! your light, your generosity, your genuine and authentic affirmations of all those around you was truly a wonder to behold. your tender and grounded facilitation shaped the space in ways i can’t even fully explain! i feel seen by you in a way that makes me resist (kinda lol) the impostor syndrome of being surrounded by so many powerhouses :)

    Hope T.

  • Adaku is an excellent facilitator. She keeps us on task and pressed us in necessary ways. She also provided helpful resources throughout the process, and made sure that we accomplished our objectives, while creating a safe, enjoyable and enlightening space.

    Destiny R.