Ella Baker (1903-1986) was one of the most important U.S. Civil Rights activists of the 20th century. She had a hand in society-changing work.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
I’m very excited to present our September theme: This month, we’re talking about Activists, women who stood up and fought against injustice and for a better world.
Today we’re talking about a woman who often doesn’t receive the recognition she deserves for her behind-the-scenes activism. She was a prolific activist with a hand in society-changing work. Major Civil Rights leaders turned to her for her organizational skills. Let’s talk about Ella Josephine Baker.
Ella Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. She grew up in North Carolina, on the very same land where her grandparents were enslaved a few decades earlier. She heard stories of slavery from her grandmother, who was whipped when she refused to marry the man her enslaver demanded. This resilience inspired Ella throughout her life.
Ella’s mother was part of the local missionary association. She helped feed their hungry neighbors and encouraged women to be a force for positive change. This activism and kindness also stuck with Ella.
Ella studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated as class valedictorian in 1927. Shortly after, she moved to New York City.
In 1930, Ella joined several women’s organizations, and served as national director of the Young Negroes Cooperative League. That organization focused on supporting the economic development of the Black community. In 1940, Ella started working as a field secretary for the NAACP. She moved up to work as director of branches after only three years. She later also served as the president of the New York City branch. Then, in 1956, Ella co-created the organization “In Friendship,” which fought the oppressive Jim Crow laws in the South.
The following year, Ella moved to Atlanta to help with Martin Luther King Jr.’s organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. At that time, the SCLC was a brand new venture. It was created after successes like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Black leaders including Martin Luther King Jr. created the organization to assemble more boycotts and protests throughout the South. But to be successful, that work would take a masterful organizer.
While MLK took the reins as the SCLC’s public figurehead, Ella worked behind the scenes setting the organization’s agenda and framing the issues. She organized the Crusade for Citizenship, a campaign to support voting rights for African Americans. She also helped run the Atlanta SCLC headquarters, and even served as a temporary director for several months, after the resignation of the office holder.
Ella’s desire to focus on the issues and to have influence over the SCLC’s direction often clashed with the group’s male leaders.
Right as Ella was considering resigning in 1960, a radical act of civil disobedience inspired her to take a new direction.
On February 1st, Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, where I’m from, refused to leave a lunch counter at a Woolworths where they had been denied service. Ella wrote a letter that encouraged students across the South to join forces and take similar acts of protest. She also organized a meeting at Shaw University for the students who spearheaded the sit-ins. From those meetings, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, was created. SNCC would have a profound impact on the civil rights movement.
Ella encouraged SNCC to focus on practicing “group-centered” activism rather than “leader-centered” activism, in contrast to the SCLC’s leadership style with MLK at the forefront. Under this method of leadership, SNCC ran many successful initiatives, including the 1961 Freedom Rides and the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi.
Ella continued her activism throughout the 60’s. She was also a consultant for the Southern Conference Education Fund, and organized the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. She later returned to New York City and continued her work until she passed away on December 13th, 1986. She was 83 years old.
Ella Baker was an incredible driving force behind much of the public Civil Rights work we learn about in school. While she never sought the spotlight, she was committed to improving life for future generations.
All month we’re talking about Activists. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter: Womannica Weekly. You can also follow us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica and you can follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!