Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on important women in American history, in celebration of March as National Women’s History Month. Information was provided by members of the Kaua‘i County Committee on the Status of Women.
Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on important women in American history, in celebration of March as National Women’s History Month. Information was provided by members of the Kaua‘i County Committee on the Status of Women. For more information, or to inquire about joining the committee, call Pat Hunter-Williams, 639-0888, or the Office of the Mayor, 241-6300.
Ella Baker’s unrelenting work for justice has made her one of the most influential women in the civil-rights movement.
For 50 years, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes for black civil rights.
As a grassroots organizer, she aroused in people a sense of strength in numbers and common goal.
In the 1940s, Baker was an organizer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In the late 1950s, she served as associate director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
As cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960, Baker served as both a mentor and an inspiration to whole new generation of civil-rights workers.