Norfolk, Virginia (December 13, 1903 -December 13, 1986) age 83 yrs

Ella Baker’s lifetime of activism made her a skillful organizer. She encouraged women and young people to assume positions of leadership in the civil rights movement. In 1960 Baker called for a student conference to organize the spontaneous sit-ins spreading throughout the South. Those who gathered formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She was both the organization’s mentor and its fervent support.

Ruby Hurley (1909-1980) a courageous and capable official with the NAACP, she did difficult, dangerous work in the South.