Ella Baker was a driving force behind the Civil Rights Movement during the 1930s and her activism extended over five decades.
Ella Baker was an independent thinker with with strong opinions and views. Organizing was her strongest talent, so Baker worked primarily behind the scenes. As a result, she didn't gain as much recognition as other civil rights leaders, but Baker did not devote her life to the movement for fame or recognition but rather as a commitment to racial justice and equality. In support of civil rights activism, she played an important role in the growth and organization of many major civil rights campaigns, including the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
I have not heard of Ella Baker before, but I can't deny that people like her made the civil rights movement possible, some with great sacrifice. I recall that I wouldn't have gotten involved if it hadn't been for church leaders in the North joining in the movement and going against their counterparts in the South.
This book explores how U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy failed to stand up to Soviet aggression during the early Cold War—despite America's overwhelming nuclear advantage.
