Ella Baker was not deterred from the male dominated civil rights movement. Although at times she worked side-by-side with such notables as Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin, she often found that her contributions and abilities were overlooked because she was a woman. Despite this disappointing reality, Ella Baker immersed herself into the mentorship of the civil rights movement’s youth and refused to end her fight for justice until her death.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.