Profile:EllaJosephineBaker

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IchosetoprofilethestrongandindependantwomanEllaBaker,whowasapart
ofthecivilmovementwithMartinLutherKing,Jr.andwasalsooneofthefoundersof
SNCC(TheStudentNonviolentCoordinatingCommittee).HerfullnamewasElla
JosephineBaker,bornonDecember13,1903inNorfolk,Virginia(Ibiblio).Bakerwas
anunknownfigureofhistory,becauseIhadnoideawhoshewasuntilIdidthe
research.AtayoungageEllalearnedfromhergrandmotherwhowasaslavehowhard
herlifewasbeingwhippedandtorturedeveryday.
EllaBakerdidherstudiesatShawUniversitywheresheconfrontedalotofthe
schoolpoliciesasunfair(Ibiblio).ShesoonbecameinterestedinthecaseofBrownvs.
theBoardofEducation(African).FromthereherlegacyasaCivilRightsactivist
becomeknown.Ellawasoneofthosepeoplethatworkedintheheartoftheoperation
thatisprobablywhybarelyanyoneknewher.Bakerplayedkeyrolesinthemost
influentialorganizationsduringhertimesuchastheNAACP,MartinLutherKing's
SouthernChristianLeadershipConference,andtheStudentNonviolentCoordinating
Committee(Who).
Bakerlivedherlifeforjusticeofnotonlyherpeoplebutforeveryone.Iwould
thinkthatherdreamsomehowcorrespondedwithDr.Kings.In1940Ellabecamethe
fieldsecretaryfortheNationalAssociationfortheAdvancementofColoredPeople

Profile:EllaJosephineBaker

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(Bio).Withthispositionshetraveledtobecomeadvocatesfromalldifferentcities
holdingthesameorganization.Shesoongavethisallupwhenshetookintocareher
niece.Shefeltthattravelingwasntgoodforagrowinggirlsoshedecidedtostayputin
NewYorkwhereshewasgrantedwithsomanyopportunitiestostillbeinvolved.She
becamepartoftheNewYorkUrbanLeagueandhelpedalongsidetheNewYork
chapterofNAACP(Bio).
Whentheyear1957camealong,BakerhadmovedtoAtlantatotakeonthejob
oforganizingMartinLutherKingsneworganization,theSouthernChristianLeadership
Conference(SCLC)(Ibiblio).Whilebeingapartofthatshealsoranavoterregistration
campaigncalledtheCrusadeforCitizenship.FortwowholeyearsBakerstayed
alongsidetheSCLCandthoughshemaynothaveagreedwiththeirpoliciessuchas
strongpeopledontneedstrongleaders(Ibiblio)shestillwashappytoorganizeand
helpwiththecause.
Onthe1stofFebruary,studentsatNorthCarolinaA&TUniversitywererefusing
toleavetheWoolworthlunchcounterinGreensboro,NorthCarolinabecausetheywere
beingdeniedservice.BakerlefttheSCLCaftertwoyearafterhearingaboutthisand
insistedonhelpingshapeupthefutureactivists.Whentheresheorganizedastudent

Profile:EllaJosephineBaker

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meetingatShawUniversityofthosewhowereinthesitinsandthereinAprilof1960
theStudentNonviolentCoordinatingCommitteewasborn(Who).
WhenIresearchedabouther,manyofhertheoriesandpolicieswereagreeable
to.Ifoundthatshewasnotlikemanyoftheothercivilrightsactivists.Shenotonly
wantedtoteachthosewhowerefightingagainstthoseorganizationsbutshesawthe
potentialinthefuturegenerationtobecometheactivistsinwhichshecouldnotsee
brewinginherowngeneration.
Themajorjobwasgettingpeopletounderstandthat
theyhadsomethingwithintheirpowerthattheycoulduse,anditcouldonlybeusedif
theyunderstoodwhatwashappeningandhowgroupactioncouldcounterviolence
(Who).WhenIrealizedthatsomuchofherliferemindedmeofourPolitical
Governmentcourse,IbegantorealizethatIhaventgainedtheknowledgethatIknow
shewouldhavewantedmeto.IsoonrealizedthatIcouldbecomeafutureactivistin
knowingwhatisgoingoninourcountrytoday,beingapartofdifferentorganizations,
andhavingmyownvoice.
WithEllaBaker'sguidanceandencouragement,SNCCbecameoneofthe
foremostadvocatesforhumanrightsinthecountry(Who).Sheleftherlegacyandnow
itisknownthroughoutthewholecountry.EllaBakerwasthechampionbehindthe
scenesforthefightofequality(African).Shewastheonethateveryonewouldquestion

Profile:EllaJosephineBaker

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whowrotethespeeches,whogatheredthemoneyforbailfortheconstantarrests,and
whomadesurethateveryonewastheretostandstraightandtallagainsttheenemy.
BakerwassomanythingstotheCivilRightsmovementanditisashamethatshewas
barelyknownforherwork.
Intheyears19611964theSNCCjoinedotheractivistsfromtheCongressof
RacialEquality(CORE)tostartwhatisknownasFreedomRides(Who).Duringthat
timetheactivistshelpcreateFreedomSummerwhichwastheirefforttofocusthe
nationsattentiononMississippisracismandtotryagetblackstobecomevoters.
THroughherwholeprocessBakerbelievedthatvotingwastheonlywaytofreedom.To
actuallyhaveasayinthewayourcountryisranandtonotbelookedatasofa
personbutasawhole,realhumanbeing.
ButthemajorpartinherlifewasprobablythefactthateversinceSNCCwas
formedshesatbackandletthefutureactivistsdowhattheyknewwhatwasright.She
wastheirbackboneintheoperationbutshewasgoodaboutlettingthemgettheir
voicesoutandlettingthemacknowledgetheworldwiththeirbeliefs.Ithinkthatthe
activistssuredidlearnalotfromherexampleingivingthemtheirvoicesandnotbeing
thatkindofpersonthathadfollowersbutneverletthemvoicetheiropinion.Ifeelour
nationcanlearnsomuchfromherexampleofsteppingbackandlettingthefutureof

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whatsheknewwasgoingtolastalifetimespeakandpreach.Ithinkthatshemayhave
taughtthembynoteventeachingthem.Bakerhasbecomesuchawonderfulrolemodel
forme.Havingavoice,lettingeveryoneknowmyopinions,andhavingthefreedomto
voteisdefinitelyinfluencedbyher.
WithEllaBaker'sguidanceandencouragement,SNCCbecameoneofthe
foremostadvocatesforhumanrightsinthecountry.EllaBakeroncesaid,"Thismay
onlybeadreamofmine,butIthinkitcanbemadereal(Bio)."Sheknewthevisionof
theworldshewantedeversinceshewaslittleandthatjustinspiresmetofindwhatI
haveavoiceaboutandtotrulybetheadvocatefortheworldintheissuelikeshewas.
Bakerwastrulyaleaderofactionnotofword,shetaughtheryoungfollowerstoalways
looktothefutureandwhattheydreamedof.Shedefinitelysharedherdreamwithdr.
Kinghimselfofhavingadreamthatwewouldallliveinacountrywherecolororrace
doesnotmatter.HerstanceintheCivilRightsmovementwasonethatwasunheardof
buttrulyinspiring.
BakerleftherlegacyaftershediedonDecember13,1986.Sheleftalegacyof
nevergivingupandthoseactivistswhowillrememberherforeverandtreasurethe
knowledgeshesharedwiththem.TodaytheSNCCstillexistsandisstillgoingstrong
withhervisionstillinmind.

Profile:EllaJosephineBaker

SanitaTunuufi

WorksCited
AfricanTrailblazers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Z87y6OgGc&list=PLcBSJhaVqjzojrZBFYS
1ZfxOE01iGZuq
Bio.
http://www.biography.com/people/ellabaker9195848
Ibiblio
https://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/baker.html
WhowasEllaBaker?
http://ellabakercenter.org/about/whowasellabaker