Georgia King, a seemingly ever-present voice for social justice issues, died on Feb. 7. She was 82.
In her defining African apparel, Ms. King was frequently seen at a host of seminars, conferences and other public events advocating for economic empowerment for distressed communities, the poor and the homeless.
At the time of her death, Ms. King was working to open Miracles Mission for the Homeless on South Main Street. She wanted to devise long-term solutions for the homeless problem.
Ms. King was named a Memphis and Shelby County Woman of Achievement in 1994. She founded the Memphis Bus Riders Union in 2012.
In 2018, she was honored with the MLK 50 Award for Leadership and Activism.
The respect for her advocacy was reflected in the titles her supporters bestowed upon her, such as Mother King and Queen Akua.
“We called her Queen Akua,” said Dr. Omar Baruti. “The name ‘Akua’ means ‘sweet messenger,’ and that’s just what she was. When I left my office, I went to the hospital to see her, but I was told she had just transitioned before I arrived.”
As a young activist, Ms. King was bold and fearless. In 1989, King was one of the leaders in the Southern contingency with the New Exodus Walkers. It was a march to the steps of the nation’s Capitol to demand lawmakers look at the plight of the homeless.
“Queen Akua was a soldier,” said Baruti. “She stood for many causes. Any effort to relieve the suffering of those who were living in poverty, suffering injustices, and subjected to racism and inequality, she was a voice for them. Homelessness was always on her heart.”
Baruti continued, “Each year, she worked with a program which surveyed and addressed the needs of homelessness. I would work with her every year, going out in the streets, looking in dumpsters and abandoned buildings, trying to get an accurate count of the homeless in the city of Memphis. She was always concerned about helping others in her community.”
Charlotte Carpenter, an activist in both Memphis and cities in Mississippi, also knew of King’s dedication to making life better for those who lived around her.
“Of course, we knew of her very well, those of us who were activists,” said Carpenter. “I did not know her on a personal level. But just a few days back, she was at a demonstration I organized for Tyre Nichols.
“Even to the very end, she was fighting for the well-being of others. She was our queen mother.
“Mother King was powerful. She was our mother, all of us who are activists. Mother King was wise with the kind of wisdom that God bestows upon our elders.
“We looked to her for counseling, wisdom, and most of all, prayer. Believe me when I say that she was a mother in the struggle. We are all hurt, just sick, heartbroken about her passing.”
Nearly 35 years ago when Ms. King was on that trek to the U.S. Capitol on behalf of the nation’s homeless, King is remembered for encouraging marchers to power through when skies turned black, and wind velocity and rain, accosted marchers, who grew fearful.
She would later say that the “Holy Spirit told me to put on my sanctified sneakers and keep marching.”
The marchers walked through Hurricane Hugo. Marchers did, indeed, reach the Capitol, along with others who came from the North, along with busloads of activists from all over the country. More than 200,000 demanded that the $250 billion for homeless programs be restored. They would not be denied. That funding was restored.
Kilolo Ajanaku, who makes her home in Maryland, cherishes the times Ms. King Akua spent with women of the Ajanaku Basic Research Institute, making the transition with them to the Future America Basic Research Institute.
“Queen Akua was closely involved with us,” said Ajanaku. “She was a trailblazer. I remember at one time we worked on re-writing the Constitution. Women were marginalized and excluded from founding documents.
“We re-wrote that whole thing, calling it an ‘Additional Understanding.’ Akua was always so positive, and so encouraging. I am really saddened by her loss.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
(This story includes reports by the TSD Newsroom.)
