Born December 13, 1903
Norfolk, Virginia
Died December 13, 1986
New York, New York

Organizer for NAACP and SCLC; advisor to SNCC

Ella Baker was a brilliant behind-the-scenes organizer, considered by many to be the “godmother” of the civil rights movement. She championed the ideal of grassroots empowerment and member-controlled leadership in civil rights organizations. She was a living example of her own philosophy that the best leaders are those who empower others to lead.

In an activist career spanning fifty years, Baker established numerous chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and sparked the formation of both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC; see entry). And by taking an active role in political affairs at a time when women were expected to remain on the sidelines of society, Baker served as a role...