Description
Book SynopsisElla Josephine Baker (1903-1986) was among the most influential strategists of the most important social movement in modern US history, the Civil Rights Movement, yet most Americans have never heard of her. Behind the scenes, she organized on behalf of the major civil rights organizations of her daythe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)among many other activist groups. As she once told an interviewer, [Y]ou didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put pieces together out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders.Rejecting charismatic leadership as a means of social change, Baker invented a form of grassroots community organizing for social justice that had a profound impact on the struggle for civil rights a
Trade ReviewIn this beautifully written, perceptive, and engaging biography, J. Todd Moye introduces a new generation of Americans to Ella Baker, whose ideas and example inspired black and white activists during the Civil Rights years. Her conviction that social movements should be based on grass-roots involvement and group-centered leadership is as relevant today as it was a half century ago. -- John Dittmer, DePauw University
Todd Moye's lively, engaging narrative balances vivid storytelling with thoughtful analysis for a compelling introduction to Ella Baker, arguably the most important leader-organizer-strategist of the 20th Century Black Freedom Struggle. Thanks to Moye's marvelous biography, many more people will know Baker and have a sense, not only of how essential she was to movements for racial justice and human rights, but how much we still have to learn from her. -- Emilye Crosby, author of A Little Taste of Freedom: The Black Freedom Struggle in Claiborne County, Mississippi
Table of ContentsDedication List of Abbreviations Introduction: Ella Baker and the Paradox of Egalitarian Leadership Chapter 1: A Deep Sense of Community Chapter 2: Hotbed of Radical Thinking Chapter 3: Give Light and the People Will Find a Way Chapter 4: The Hard Job of Getting Down and Helping People Chapter 5: Bigger Than a Hamburger Chapter 6: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest Chapter 7: The Tribe Increases Index Acknowledgments
