ELLA JO BAKER

Born in 1903, Ella Jo Baker's early life in Virginia and North Carolina shaped her commitment to social justice. A graduate of Shaw University, she challenged unfair policies before moving to New York in 1927. Joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1940, Baker later co-founded In Friendship to combat Jim Crow Laws. In 1957, she organized for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and ran a voter registration campaign. Leaving SCLC in 1960, Baker played a key role in forming the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), advocating for human rights through initiatives like the Freedom Rides and Freedom Summer. Nicknamed "Fundi," she remained a revered civil rights leader until her death in 1986.