How Did Ella Baker Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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In the typical American history class, the Civil Rights Movement of African Americans is generally summed up in a few key points. These include Martin Luther King Junior and his “I Have a Dream” speech, Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and nonviolent protest. These specific points fail to grasp the true scope of the Civil Rights Movement, and do not give enough credit to those who played significant roles in the Movement. Women are one such group of people. The common view of the Civil Rights Movement focuses on the 1950s and 1960s, which is when the Movement became more visible. In fact, the Civil Rights Movement began in earnest long before the decade of the 1950s. Eleanor Roosevelt was likely the most prominent white woman who …show more content…

As field secretary for the South of the NAACP, her impact on social justice cannot be ignored. (Olson, 74) She spoke to local African Americans about the harsh treatment and injustices they faced. Baker promoted discussion on these dangerous topics. Her actions opened the eyes of many blacks in the South, as they realized that they had ways to resist the racism they faced on a daily basis. Baker made people see that by uniting together they would not be defenseless against white oppression. Baker inspired a man named Randolph Blackwell to establish an NAACP youth council in 1946. In 1960, two students from this organization initiated a wave of nationwide sit-ins when they refused to leave a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina until they were served. (Olson, 74) It is only through cases such as these that the impact of Civil Rights leaders such as Ella Baker can be …show more content…

This Movement, in fact, began at the end of the Civil War with the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. It continued when groups like the National Association of Colored Women came to exist in 1896. (Foner, 652) Unfortunately, organizations like this and the NAACP did not gain enough national attention until well into the next century. In 1954, with the Brown v. Board of Education case, Civil Rights became a hot button issue in American politics. (Foner, 962) This change in Civil Rights Movement was a result of it becoming more visible to the American people, and having more widespread