Ella+Baker

 Ella J. Baker was born on December 13, 1903, to the parents of Georgianna and Blake Baker. She was born in Norfolk, [|Virginia]. At a young age Ella developed an urge for social justice. Part of this determination stemmed from her grandmother's slavery stories.

When Ella graduated from high school she moved to North Carolina, to pursue her education at Shaw University. She graduated as valedictorian in 1927, and continued her persistence and interest for social justice in Harlem, New York. After settling in [|NYC] she became executive director of the Young Negroes Cooperative League, to enhance black economic power. Ella also became active in numerous women organizations, as well as helped combat the results of the depression.

When the depression ended, Ella chose to concentrate more on civil rights. She joined the [|NAACP] in the early 1940's, and worked as a field secretary, and later as the director of Branches. She continued in fight for social justice as she helped find the organization, In Friendship, to help combat the [|Jim Crow Laws] that were administered in the south.

In 1957, Ella helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC), and was appointed temporary leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., suggested that she lead the Crusade For Citizenship, which was a campaign administered under the SCLC, in fight for voter registration. Ella Baker faced obstacles and challenges along her journey in fight for civil rights. She was pretty upset with the failure of women leadership roles in the SCLC, as well as their style of leadership. Even more disappointing to her was Dr. King's unequal treatment between her and other males in the group. When Baker went separate ways from this organization, she found determination and strive elsewhere.

Baker took another turn in the civil rights movement by helping college students with the sit-in movement. She helped form what is known as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which helped show student's involvement in the civil rights movement, through nonviolent protest. This organization helped form Freedom Summer; an event which focused America's attention on the racism that occurred in Mississippi, as well as the need for equality in voting. It was Ella's determination and guidance that helped this group prosper and blossom into one of the greatest advocating organizations for human rights in the U.S.

Ella continued her fight for social justice and civil rights until she died on December 13, 1986. People may wonder what impact has Ella Baker left on the lives of others. They may wonder what legacy she has left. Ella Baker is a noteworthy African-American woman who has helped the black community achieve the things they would like to achieve today. It was because of her determination and strive for social justice that African-Americans are able to vote, attend whatever school they please, or eat at whatever restaurant they would like to eat. It is because of Baker's interest in social justice at a very young age, that the African-American community is able to prosper and bloom as it has done today.

__Citations__ "Who was Ella Baker?." __Ella Baker Center: Who was Ella Baker?__. 2009.Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. 19 Feb 2009 <[|http:www.ellabakercenter.org/ella/]//>. McElrath, Jessica. "Ella Baker." __Ella Baker - Profile of Civil Rights Activist Ella Baker__. 2009. About.com African American History. 20 Feb 2009 .