AP African American Studies Flashcards: Black Women’s Leadership and Grassroots Organizing in the Civil Rights Movement
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 16 cards to help you master important concepts.
According to Ella Baker, what was the deeper significance of lunch counter sit-ins?
She argued they were about more than access to goods; they demonstrated the need for the full inclusion of African Americans in every aspect of American life.
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According to Ella Baker, what was the deeper significance of lunch counter sit-ins?
She argued they were about more than access to goods; they demonstrated the need for the full inclusion of African Americans in every aspect of American life.
What dual forms of discrimination did leaders like Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer address?
They stressed the importance of addressing both racial discrimination and gender discrimination during the Black Freedom movement.
What is the historical significance of the 1964 New York City school boycott?
It was the largest single-day civil rights protest in United States history.
Term: Group-centered leadership
This is a leadership style, promoted by Ella Baker, that focuses on empowering local people and grassroots organizing rather than relying on a single, charismatic leader.
What tradition did Black women activists like Baker and Hamer build upon?
They built on a long tradition of Black women activists who had historically fought against both racial and gender discrimination.
What issues beyond school segregation did the CCCO address in Chicago?
Before disbanding in 1967, the CCCO turned its attention to employment and housing discrimination that plagued Black Chicagoans.
How did Ella Baker's work influence young activists?
She encouraged young people to contribute to social justice, as seen in her influential speech at the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.
Provide an example of a major civil rights project Dorothy Height worked on.
Dorothy Height routinely worked on major projects, including the March on Washington.
What does the existence of organizations like the CCCO in Chicago demonstrate about the Civil Rights movement?
It demonstrates that the Civil Rights movement was a national struggle, with grassroots organizing beyond the South playing a key role in advancing its goals.
Who was Dorothy Height?
She was the leader of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and routinely worked on major civil rights projects, such as the March on Washington.
Who was Ella Baker?
Known as the “mother of the Civil Rights movement,” she was a central leader who focused on grassroots organizing and inclusive, group-centered leadership.
What was Ella Baker's leadership philosophy?
She stressed inclusive, group-centered leadership over leader-centered groups and encouraged young people to contribute to social justice efforts.
How did grassroots organizing in the North advance the Civil Rights movement?
Grassroots efforts in cities like Chicago and New York advanced the movement's goals by protesting issues like school segregation, employment, and housing discrimination.
What was the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO)?
The CCCO was a grassroots organization established in the mid-1960s to protest school segregation and other forms of discrimination in Chicago.
What was the New York City school boycott of 1964?
It was a protest against racial segregation in schools where 464,000 students—nearly half the city's student body—boycotted school for a day.
What challenge did Black women leaders often face within major civil rights organizations?
Despite being central leaders, they often faced gender discrimination within the major organizations of the movement.