The Ella Baker Educational Project of North Carolina invites community members, neighbors, and descendants of Littleton’s historic East End community to a Community Tent Gathering and Legacy Garden Planting on Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m. held at the childhood home of civil rights leader.
The home is located at 302 East End Avenue in Littleton.
“This gathering is part of the organization’s 10th Anniversary celebration, honoring a decade of civic engagement, cooperative education, and community empowerment inspired by the legacy of Ella Baker — one of the most influential yet often unsung architects of the modern Civil Rights Movement,” organizers said. “More than a commemorative event, the April 18 gathering is designed to bring forward the voices and memories of the local community—particularly those whose families have deep roots in Littleton and surrounding areas.”
“We are intentionally creating space for neighbors, elders, and descendants of this community to come and share their stories,” said Carolyn Ross-Holmes, executive director of the Ella Baker Educational Project of North Carolina. “This land holds history, and we know that some of that history lives within the people of this community. We want to honor that — together.”
The event will take place under a community tent on the grounds of Baker’s childhood home and will include:
Community reflections and storytelling
A demonstration of “Baker Circles,” a facilitated dialogue model rooted in Ella Baker’s organizing philosophy
A Legacy Garden planting, where participants will plant flowers as a living symbol of shared history and continued growth
Opportunities for intergenerational connection and community building
Organizers are especially encouraging attendance from individuals and families who may have personal or inherited memories of the East End Avenue neighborhood or connections to the Baker family and surrounding community.
“This is more than an event — it is a homecoming,” Ross-Holmes added. “We are inviting the community to help carry forward the story of this place and the spirit of Miss Baker’s work.”
The gathering is free and open to the public.
