ella josephine baker (december 13, 1903 – december 13, 1986) was an african-american civil rights and human rights activist. she worked alongside some of the most famous civil rights leaders of the 20th century, including w. e. b. du bois, thurgood marshall, a. philip randolph, and martin luther king jr. she also mentored many emerging activists, such as diane nash, stokely carmichael, rosa parks, and bob moses. baker has been ranked as "one of the most important african american leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement," known for her critiques not only of racism within american culture, but also the sexism and classism within the civil rights movement.