The Life of Ella Baker

                                               The Life of Ella Baker

           Ella Baker played A key role in the African American community. She was a Civil Rights organizer with such a strong sense of humor. Ella was the most influential because Ella was a strong leader, a role model, and she also set good examples. This is The Life of Ella Baker.        

             Ella Baker was born on December 13, 1903 in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice. Ella’s mind was unique and she had very strong opinions on things like racism. Those memorable thoughts^[a] and opinions made woke Ella up. Ella was influenced by her grandmother, Georgianna Baker. Georgianna used to tell Baker stories about her own years in slavery. One of the stories she discussed with Ella was one time, she had been whipped for refusing to marry a man picked by her master. Hearing these stories made Ella think so she decided to do something about it.

             At eight years old, Ella and her mother, Georgianna Baker, her mother, moved to Littleton, North Carolina leaving busy father. Her father, Blake Miller was left behind because of his work. Getting life started, Ella’s mom decided to put Ella in a boarding school. Because of Ella being African American and the inequality and the racism still proceeding, it was hard for her to get into public schools. No help from her dad Blake, After all the hard work and dedication, Ella was proudly sent to Shaw University to start her career at 15 years old.                                                                                                          

              In 1927, Baker graduated with her degree. Shortly after graduating, Ella moved to North New York City. Ella helped start the Young Negroes’ Cooperative League which allowed people to pool their funds to get better deals on goods and services. A year later, she began working at the “Works Progress Administration”. Baker became politically involved protesting Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, supposedly Alabama’s Scottsboro defendants, and advocating for local action and campaigns for social change.

           Years later, Baker got married to her college sweetheart, Bob Roberts. In 1940, things really started to fall in place for Ella. Baker began working for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as a secretary. By 1943, she had become the director of branches, making her own organizations highest ranked woman. Ella worked for The NAACP until getting custody of her niece, Jackie Brockington. Ella decided to resign the NAACP post. She felt as though her position required too much travel. The risk of resigning, Baker worked for multiple organizations.

                In 1953, Ella finally decided to run an unsuccessful Campaign for New York City Council. In 1957, Ella took a huge step and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as it’s executive director at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This leadership promoted Spiritual principles within memberships and local Communities. They educated youth and adults in the areas of personal responsibility. Once the organization became official, Baker was the first staff member hired, working as a community organizer. In 1958, Ella and her husband got a divorce. Busy lives made their marriage difficult.