Ella Baker

CIVIL & WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST
Focused on grassroots activism
Became an active member of the NAACP in 1938, working as both director of branches and field secretary
Left the organization eight years later, disagreeing with the top-down management style
Leveraged her own personal network of activists to cofound In Friendship, which raised money for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and similar grassroots campaigns
In 1958 she joined Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) as its executive director, but was ignored because she was a woman who wasn't afraid to speak up
Believed the SCLC relied too much on King's persona and speeches, rather than on-the-ground, local activism
Helped students organize and form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the sit-in movement
Mentored the SNCC, teaching the strategies of grassroots activism, local leadership, and inclusion of women of color
In 1964, the SNCC and Baker formed the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, calling out the establishment party for its internal segregation, which resulted in widespread Democratic Party reforms
Later in life, she worked for the Puerto Rican Solidarity Committee, the Commission for Social and Racial Justice of the Episcopal Church, and other similar organizations

Bibliography: McKinney Jr, Charles W. "Baker, Ella." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 2008, 184-185.

Support this organization dedicated to preserving her story & mission:

Ella Baker Center

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

We Who Believe in Freedom: The Life and Times of Ella Baker

Freedom Cannot Rest: Ella Baker and the Civil Rights Movement

Lift As You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker

(picture book)

Research

Ella Baker and the SNCC: Grassroots Leadership and Political Activism in a Nonhierarchical Organization

Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

Ella Baker: Community Organizer of the Civil Rights Movement

Ella Baker's Catalytic Leadership: A Primer for Community Engagement and Communication for Social Justice

Meet more Awesome Women like this

What international award-winning organization did this woman found?

This woman is famous for a single historic act of courage -- but that was just one of many

How did this woman increase the number of female journalists in the United States?

Can't decide which Awesome Woman to meet next? Place your fate in the Librarian's hands... if you dare! Mwahahaha!

Please note that while Awesome Women Library tries to include links only to media from reputable sources, we cannot attest to the quality or content of any media listed on this website. Our mission is to introduce you to these Awesome Women and give you a wide array of resources for learning more. We haven't read everything listed and are not a recommendation site, nor is this meant to be an exhaustive catalog of every book related to this woman -- there's just too much out there! Happy reading!!