"In 1969, Ella Baker, SNCC’s great mentor, pointed us in the direction of meaningful action when she said, “In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed.” This means that we are going to have to learn to think in radical terms. I use the term radical in its original meaning – getting down to and understanding the root cause. Baker continued, “It means facing a system that does not lend itself to your needs and devising means by which you change that system.”"
Ella Baker

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

Dorothy Zellner, Interview (2014)

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ella_Baker