Derek H. Alderman

Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee

Derek H. Alderman is Professor of Geography and President of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

Derek H. Alderman is Professor of Geography and President of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Dr. Alderman’s specialties include race, public memory, symbolic landscapes, heritage tourism, and critical place name study—all within the context of the African-American struggle for social and spatial justice. He is the author of over 130 articles, book chapters, and other essays along with the award-winning book (with Owen Dwyer), Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory. He has a recently edited volume (with Reuben Rose-Redwood and Maoz Azaryahu) entitled "The Political Life of Urban Streetscapes: Naming, Politics, and Place" (Routledge).

For many US towns and cities, deciding which streets to name after MLK reflects his unfinished work

April 6, 2018Justice

For some communities, the drive to name public spaces in King’s name has taken years as well as heated debates, boycotts, petition drives, marches and even litigation.