Ella Baker

Who Was Ella Baker?

Ella Baker emerged as one of the most influential women in the civil rights movement as she contributed her skills and principals as an activist. Ella Josephine Baker was born in Norfolk, Virginia where she established a deep perception of dignity. While attending school she disagreed with school policies which she believed were unjust, such as the schools dress code, racism, religion, and the Bible. Baker graduated as class valedictorian in 1927, at Shaw University.

Baker spent her time helping local leaders create and enact campaigns against lynching (to put to death, by hanging, by mob action), and for African American teachers to receive equal pay. She was an expert at acknowledging members who had the skill set and ability to take on leadership roles. She advocated extensive, local measures as a method of social change. Baker was able to use her past experiences and contacts

to help plan future protests and campaigns and chose what individuals would lead them.

"Remember, we are not fighting for the freedom of the Negro alone, but for the freedom of the human spirit, a larger freedom that encompasses all mankind"-Ella Baker 

 When the Montgomery Bus Boycott turned out to be a success, Martin Luther king decided he also wanted to establish an organization to develop similar boycotts throughout the south. With the help of Baker, she was able to create the groups goals and agenda. She later on moved to Atlanta to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which was associated with Dr. King. Dr. King and Baker's relationship wasn’t always easy as stated “Despite her level of experience and proven track record, he had difficulty allowing a woman’s decisions to trump his own, and her idea was that the organization should devote its resources more to promoting and enabling its overall mission rather than celebrating a charismatic leader”.  

Ella Baker is a passionate and pronounced woman that if everyone was as driven as her, positive changes could occur within society. She worked mostly behind the scenes in most protest but without her organizing the events they would not have been possible. She symbolizes what a female warrior should stand for that has had to fight against powerful men for her voice to be heard. Baker spent her life's work being a civils rights leader, helped develop the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Ella Baker, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, without her Americans may never have acquired Dr. King’s messages.

"You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders" -Ella Baker 

Works Cited:

“Ella Baker.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Baker#New_York_City.

Scelfo, Julie. “MLK Day: Meet Ella Baker, Mother of Civil Rights Movement.” Time, Time, 16 Jan. 2017, time.com/4633460/mlk-day-ella-baker/.

“Who Was Ella Baker?” Ella Baker Center, ellabakercenter.org/about/who-was-ella-baker.