Ella Baker
Today, I’d like to highlight an unsung hero for Black History Month. She is the epitome of #leadershipgoals for my life. The foundation of her profound wisdom was developed through the art of listening. She was a major influence in the lives of all the well-known civil rights leaders. She dedicated her life to training up the generation behind her. She spoke the language of Black Lives Matter decades before the term ever existed.
Her name is Ella Baker and she is often referred to as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. And yet, many people still don’t know her name. She would not see that as a problem, however, as she ardently believed, “One must do what one’s conscience bids them do and from no one except yourself, expect applause.”
The list is long and the correlations astonishing between the ideas she promoted in the mid 1900’s and the social climate we are faced with today. Before there was Stacey Abrams, there was Ella Baker. Her contributions and achievements should be required reading for every present-day activist.
Maybe you’ve just been looking to learn more about a significant person in history. I can’t think of a better place to start than with Ella Baker. She is highlighted in the PBS Series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.
There are also various speeches and biographies that you can explore on YouTube: