We all grow up on the stories told to us- whether they’re fairy tales or horror novellas, they all affect us. This is particularly encapsulated in the life of Ella Baker. Born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia, Baker grew up on the stories her grandmother told her of the slave revolts. Ella’s grandmother often discussed how as a young slave, she had been whipped by her slave owner for refusing to marry a man that had been chosen for her. As a result, Baker developed a strong sense of social justice that only grew stronger when she went on to attend Shaw University, where she joined school clubs and challenged unfair policies. Even after graduation, Baker joined many activist organizations, including the Young Negroes Cooperative League and NAACP. As a member o the NAACP staff, Baker worked to desegregate New York City public schools.
Later on, Baker increased her involvement in Civil Rights activism when she moved to join the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Baker utilized her skills and connections to plan events for the SCLC and identified and carried out the best plans for protests and campaigns. However, Baker was never really able to leave her grassroots organization behind and disagreed with the policies of strong, male leadership in the SCLC. She was often heard saying, “strong people don’t need strong leaders”. Her relationship with Dr. King was particularly tense- as a leader, he found difficulty allowing Baker to execute her ideas over his own and overcoming his “preacher ego”. Baker was very critical of him and described Dr. King as “a pampered member of Atlanta’s black elite who had the mantle of leadership handed to him”. In the times before Women’s Liberation, Baker became increasingly frustrated and considered resignation. Right before she did, the Greensboro sit-ins were launched.
Baker was inspired by the power and meaningful change brought on by these university students. She left SCLC and began to organize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which, contrasting the SCLC, was led by the youth and practiced grassroots activism. SNCC would later go on to help organize the Freedom Rides and black voter registration. Baker believed in the energy of the youth; she recognized that “the young people were the hope of any movement”. As leader of SNCC, Baker took on a more quiet role quite unlike the figurehead position of Dr. King. She was an encouraging voice who listened and gave suggestions to the young activists. Baker believed in the empowerment of everybody, not just herself.
Ella Baker was never interested in the spotlight of activism and sought only to help everyone reach their own potential. Thus, when we think of the Civil Rights Movement today, we automatically turn to Dr. King and his “I Have a Dream Speech”. It is important to remember those who worked behind the scenes to better the movement. Ella Baker, who was a whirlwind that worked tirelessly to pursue change, remained heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement until her death. Without her, a new era of activism inspired by the younger generation would not have taken off as it did.
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Nice post Jayde! I think it's interesting to see some of the less well-known people that were involved in the civil rights movement, because as influential and great as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were, the movement was not comprised on only two people. Thus, I did further research on other well known figures in the movement, and found Reverend James Reeb, who was a white civil rights activist in the South, that was attacked and killed by angry whites. This connects also to the Letters from Birmingham Jail, and how King also noted that there were many whites that helped in the movement, and were willing to die for a cause that did not directly benefit them.
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