Born on this day in 1903, Ella Baker was an iconic civil rights activist. Ella Baker was called to a life of activism at an early age. Her grandmother had been formerly enslaved. Her grandmother’s resilience was a big inspiration and motivating factor for her life. An avid student, Baker graduated as valedictorian from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina and soon after moved to New York City.
Living through the Great Depression, Baker witnessed the impact of poverty on people. She first organized the Young Negros Cooperative League (YNCL) in the 1930s, an organization that pooled community resources to redistribute amongst to those most in need.
She would then join the NAACP as field secretary, becoming director of various branches within the organization. After resigning in 1946, she founded In Friendship, a fundraising effort for the Civil Rights Movement. By the end of the 1950s, Ella Baker helped Martin Luther King Jr. start the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Recognizing the strength of youth in the Civil Rights Movement, Baker organized a meeting for the student leaders of lunch counter sit-in’s, forming the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She remained an advisor for many years for young activists at SNCC.
Ella Baker spent the remainder of her life dedicated to the pursuit of human rights for all. She passed away on December 13, 1986, her 83rd birthday. Ella Baker once said, “Give people light and they will find a way.” She is remembered as someone who has illuminated the path forward and remains an inspiration to many activists working toward collective liberation.
