Baker, Ella (1903-1986), was an African American activist who encouraged the use of peaceful protests and demonstrations to oppose racial discrimination. She was actively involved with numerous civil rights organizations in the United States.
Ella Josephine Baker was born on Dec. 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. After graduating from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1927, she moved to New York City. In 1930, she joined the Young Negroes Cooperative League, an organization that sought to promote economic advancement for African Americans. In 1940, Baker became involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She led the organization’s efforts to desegregate public schools in New York City.
In 1957, Baker moved to Atlanta, where she worked with civil rights leader Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in seeking equality for African Americans. In 1960, she helped organize young activists to form a civil rights organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Baker died on Dec. 13, 1986, in New York City.
