Ask most people about the “civil rights” movement and you’re likely to eventually hear the names of men woven into their response. Without proper perspective, one could grow up in this country believing that the fight for “civil rights” was led, organized, and executed solely by men. Deeper study, however, will reveal that in many instances women were at the forefront of the struggle. We rarely give appropriate credit and appreciation to the courageous women who not only fought against racism in the larger society, but even battled with sexism in the civil rights and social justice movement. We would do well to honor the likes of Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Jackson Gray Adams, Barbara Johns, Ruby Doris Smith, Claudette Colvin, Glenda Fleming, Brenda Travis, Bernice Johnson and so many more!
And probably most of all, we owe a collective debt of gratitude to Ms. Ella Baker. She was the engine behind so many of the fascinating groups who organized and put their necks on the line fighting U.S. apartheid. Barbara Ransby in her book, Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision, paints the picture of a woman who was small in stature, but a giant among women and men.
Ransby, in tremendous detail, introduces the world to Ella Baker in ways that mainstream education wholly ignores. From her well-guarded personal life to her very public organizing, we meet a woman who gave her everything to an awe-inspiring vision of a more just and democratic society. Baker was propelled by what she saw we could be while at the same time giving equal energy to the path that would help us get there. For her the means was just as important as the end and you couldn’t fight for equality in the public sphere and sanction discrimination and ill-treatment behind closed doors. Her willingness to speak up and challenge the “men of the movement” didn’t make her a favorite in certain circles. She had her run-ins with the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and other groups because she did not go along with the prescribed gender role for women during that day and would not just “stay in her place”.
She created her own place – not in the narrow confines of a “civil rights” activist, but Ransby’s brilliant book reveals Baker as an irreplaceable figure in the larger Black Freedom Movement. While the NAACP and SCLC placed the legislature and judiciary as the preferred target for social change, Baker’s life was dedicated to organizing and empowering “everyday people” to be the change. Ms. Baker believed that the principal issue was bigger than new and different laws in the existing governing structure. She fought for self-determination for the poor and people of color. She didn’t chase after the politicians. She sat on country porches and rode down dusty roads with the people – listening to them articulate, define, and direct where the movement could or should go.
While she could have rightly demanded the spotlight and allowed her oratorical skills to shine, she seemed to prefer the less visible, but immensely critical roles behind the curtain. She helped empower others, drew connections to parallel movements, and practiced the art of asking the right questions. In addition, she mentored and nurtured many who grew to become defining figures in the Human Rights Struggle. As you turn each page, you’ll likely bump into a name you know or a name you need to know and read how Ella Baker touched their lives.
All 374 pages of Ransby’s book are packed with the finer, lesser-known stories and details of this pivotal figure and the movement she helped create. The many awards conferred upon this book is clear evidence of the literary skill of the author and her meticulous research in providing this important biography. Those who read this book – no doubt are better human beings by the time they turn the last page.
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