Revisiting "Ella's Song"

Ella Josephine Baker (1903-1986), an African-American human rights activist, influenced the trajectory of the modern civil rights movement with her emphasis on local action, liberative pedagogy, and grassroots involvement. She modeled a pedagogy of liberation convinced that grassroots efforts at participatory democracy could empower diverse communities for the ongoing struggle for human rights and equality. In this address, the words to Ella's Song, penned by Bernice Johnson Reagon in tribute to Baker, inspire the reflections on the 2012 theme. They are used to explore the collective struggle for freedom and justice, sharing faith in the struggle for liberation, and religious education practice.