This week for #sweetsandsocialjustice I’m really excited to have a book aimed at older readers about prolific activist Ella Baker. She was integral to so many parts of the Modern Black Freedom Struggle/Civil Rights Movement, and was a mentor to young student activists as they worked for desegregation and voting rights throughout the country. For this week, I made my favorite almond cake recipe but experimented using flax meal instead of eggs. I put blackberry jam in between the layers, and put a salty chocolate buttercream on top.

The book itself is lyrical and reads like poetry, going over the early life and decades of public service that Ella put into her community. Ella was radical in the way she believed everyone should be involved in community organizing, not just the elite or highly educated. She was constantly asking everyone “what do you hope to accomplish?” and truly embodying her mothers advice to “lift as your climb”, helping everyone around her. I really enjoyed this book, and it is more abstract than picture books aimed for younger readers. There is also language typical to the time period, which may require explanation today. This book is fantastic for discussions about community organizing, voting rights, and the stark inequalities that can still be found in Black and other marginalized communities today. Ella Baker worked tirelessly with organizations like SCLC, SNCC, and the NAACP in a bottom up capacity, which was revolutionary at the time. I believe this book would be a wonderful addition to classrooms and home, with stunning illustrations and lengthy biographical pages, timeline, and lists of sources in the back.