Since it's Black History Month, I thought I'd blog about one of the very important women in African American history, but unknown to most people. Ella Baker was a fighter for the social equality of African Americans, always pushing the agenda of the civil right rights movement forward. "This may only be a dream of mine, but I think it can be made real," was one of her famous sayings.
Ella Baker was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1903. She grew up listening to stories about her grandmother's experiences as a former slave. These stories about how slaves rebelled against their owners laid the foundation for Baker's desire to be an activist.
After graduating from college, Baker moved to New York City, where she worked for the American West Indian News and the Negro National News. She dedicated her free time to actively protesting against social injustice. In 1940 Baker began working with local chapers of the NAACP, where she served as field secretary for 15 years. In 1955, influenced by the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Baker established In Friendship, an organization that raised funds to fight Jim Crow laws. Two years later, she moved to Atlanta to help Martin Luther King, Jr. organize SCLC.
Ella Baker remained an activist, fighting for social and political justice in the US and around the world, until her death in 1986.
Monday, February 25, 2019
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