[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 119 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E654-E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING KARANJA AJANAKU

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2025

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a heartfelt tribute to 
Karanja Ajanaku, a respected reporter and editor in Memphis, who passed 
on Tuesday at the age of 70. A native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, who 
was raised in Kansas City, Dr. Ajanaku came to Memphis in 1977 right 
after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of 
Journalism as Leroy Williams Jr. He started at The Commercial Appeal as 
a beat reporter and was the first Black reporter to cover City Hall for 
the newspaper. He later became the paper's night news editor and a 
deputy Metro Desk editor for over 26 years. I first met Karanja, then 
Leroy, when he covered the general assembly while I served as his state 
senator. We became friends and visited often and, in the pressroom and 
in legislative plaza, that friendship continued for the rest of his 
life. I had and have nothing but the highest respect for his acumen and 
values. He was a first class reporter and a first class human being. In 
1986, he had his name legally changed to Karanja Aidoo Ajanaku, 
reflecting his cultural sense of self as an agent of change, and was 
thereafter recognized by his colorful African dashikis. He said his 
adopted name meant ``the guide who puts things in place.'' He joined 
The Tri-State Defender newspaper, focusing on the African American 
community, in 2007, and rose to be its Executive Editor before retiring 
in 2023. A mentor to many in those newsrooms, Dr. Ajanaku was known for 
his grace, compassion, patience and dedication to accuracy. The Tri-
State Defender, in a statement mourning his loss, said ``He was 
committed to elevating the African American voice in this community

[[Page E655]]

through his exceptional journalism and incredible eye for a great 
photo.'' In addition to all of that, he was a genuinely nice guy. In a 
2018 profile story in Memphis Magazine, Dr. Ajanaku expressed concern 
about the decline in newspaper reading and its impact on the quality of 
our democracy, ``We've got people who are growing up that can't read. 
And many who can, can't read in context. They can't comprehend stuff. 
If you're going to live in a democratic republic, you're going to live 
where the individual has to be informed, and if he doesn't have the 
tools to take in the information and make informed decisions, you've 
got a problem. It's a greater threat than Russia.'' I express my 
condolences to his twin children, daughter Jamila Ajanaku, of Phoenix, 
Arizona, and son Karanja Ajanaku, Jr., of Nashville; a sister, 
Jacqueline Broadus of Reno, Nevada; two brothers, Randy Williams of 
Kansas City, Missouri, and Ronald Williams of Leavenworth, Kansas; and 
his six grandchildren; his former newsroom colleagues, his admirers and 
his many friends. His was a life well-lived. As Dr. Ajanaku himself 
said so often: The journey continues.

                          ____________________