“[Ella Baker]'s second defining characteristic was her dislike of top-down leadership... 'She felt leaders were not appointed but the rose up. Someone will rise. Someone will emerge'. It was an attitude Baker shared with some of the older women in the movement.”

American journalist, op-ed columnist, and author

Gail Collins is an American journalist, op-ed columnist, and author best known for her long career with The New York Times. She joined the paper in 1995 and later became its Editorial Page Editor, a post she held from 2001 to 2007 as the first woman to serve in that role. Her work at The New York Times made her a familiar voice in American public debate. She is known for commentary shaped by politics and current affairs, delivered with the clarity and wit associated with newspaper opinion writing.