Ella Baker (1903 - 1986)

Sun Dec 13, 1903

Image

Ella Josephine Baker, born on this day in 1903, was a civil rights activist whose career spanned more than five decades, working with W.E.B. Du Bois, MLK Jr., and A. Philip Randolph. “My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders.”

In New York City and the American South, Baker worked with many prominent civil rights leaders of the 20th century, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King Jr.

She also mentored many emerging activists, such as Diane Nash, Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael), Rosa Parks, and Bob Moses.

Baker criticized professionalized, charismatic leadership; she promoted grassroots organizing, radical democracy, and the ability of the oppressed to understand their worlds and advocate for themselves.

“You didn’t see me on television, you didn’t see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders.”

- Ella Baker