Great Civil Rights Heroes
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s still resonates with us today, giving us some of the most inspirational figures of the 20th century in the face of some of its most egregious injustices. There were hundreds and thousands of people who played a role in achieving major legislative and legal victories in those years, but we’ve attempted to chronicle a few of the most important. Some were great leaders and speakers, others organisers and community activists, more still great thinkers and writers, but they all played a part.
In an era when the fight for racial equality and justice in the face of institutional discrimination remains at the forefront of political debate, the heroic efforts of these individuals are an inspiration. And to get further insight into their contribution, we asked University of Virginia professor Kevin K Gaines to offer his thoughts and insights on the role these figures played as an expert on civil rights and social justice.
Ella Baker
Q: Just how important would you say Baker was to the civil rights movement?
A: Ella Baker represents two major advances in the study of the civil rights movement: the recognition of the indispensable role of African American women in the movement, and a “bottom up” emphasis on grass-roots organising, as opposed to a prior “top down” emphasis on charismatic leadership. Baker’s decades-long career as a civil rights activist began when she left her North Carolina home for the politics of Harlem during the 1930s.
A gifted organiser, Baker has been called the ‘Mother of the Movement’ for her tireless and dangerous work during and after World War II. Her efforts away from the limelight are credited with providing a key foundation for the modern civil rights movement in the American south.
As executive director of the SCLC, Baker clashed with that organisation’s male-dominated leadership, including Martin Luther King. When African American college students launched the
