Wendell Baker: The Martin Luther King of Huntsville

by Cheval John

Today begins the month of black history. Everyone knows about Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus in which it led to her arrest and started the protest in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. That led to the emergence of Martin Luther King, who organized and led protests in the South for civil rights. Everyone knows his famous speech “I Have a Dream” in Washington, D.C. in 1963. But few know about the Martin Luther King of Huntsville and Walker County, who organized and led protests for integration not only at Sam Houston State University, but also for the entire city of Huntsville. That man is Wendell Baker. He was born on November 13,1922 in West Walker County, Texas to Jesse and Fannie Baker. He was the eighth of ten children. He grew up in a farm in Walker County and learned the lessons of hard work and dedication from his parents. He was a very talented and smart person. He graduated from Sam Houston High School in Huntsville in 1939. He wanted to attend Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University), but couldn’t because they did not accept African Americans. He served in World War II and after the war, he attended Texas Southern University and graduated in 1949 with a bachelors degree in chemistry. He had aspired to go to medical school and taught at Huntsville Intermediate School as a science teacher. With a wife and a growing family, he realized that he would not fulfill that dream. He was the chair of the science department there and continued to teach there until 1962 when he got fired for building his home near a new white subdivision. That not only changed the destiny of Mr. Baker, but would also change the destiny of Sam Houston State. In that same year, he got hired at the Goodyear Tire Company in Beaumont as a quality control specialist, making him the first African American technical professional in the Golden Triangle. He got promoted to chemical engineer in which that position increased his salary and it allowed him to be an activist for civil rights in Huntsville and Walker County. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed in Congress and the winds of integration began to shift. In that same year, Angie Kizzie applied to Sam Houston and was denied admission because of her race. The same thing happened to another black student. That led Mr. Baker, along with the Voter’s League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) to file a suit with the federal district court. Before the suit could reach the court, the governor, knowing the negative publicity that they would recieve, ordered the Board of Regents to change the policy and admit black students. The board did just that and in that same year, John Patrick became the first African American to enroll at Sam Houston State. Since then, the university have a diverse student body. Mr. Baker continued his activism until Huntsville was fully integrated. He stayed with Goodyear until 1984. Now he is retired and still lives in Huntsville. Sam Houston State University is a much better place thanks to Wendell Baker, the Martin Luther King of Huntsville.

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About Cheval John

Cheval John is the Founder and CEO of Vallano Media, LLC, a marketing agency which helps small to mid-sized businesses use social media correctly to build a loyal following and in the process become more profitable. Cheval is also the host of "What's The Word?" a podcast about finding out what inspires people to choose their respective careers and how social media impacted their lives and business. He is the author of two books including the Amazon Best-Seller, "8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn." He has spoken at Social Media Week Lima in Ohio and at Social Media Day Houston 2017 about topics around live streaming and podcasting. Cheval has been featured in media outlets including Ebony Magazine, Social Media Today and Forbes. He was named a Houston Top 25 Social Media Power Influencer (2016 and 2017) and a Twitter Top 50 Influencer by Onalytica in 2018.

4 Responses to “Wendell Baker: The Martin Luther King of Huntsville”

  1. Elaine Collins says :

    I met Mr. Baker today for the first time. I was so impressed by the things he has accomplished and done to make this world a better place to live for all races. Can’t wait to speak with him again next week.

  2. michael lee says :

    My name is Michael Lee. I met Mr. Baker back in 1982 through Rev Bill Oliver of Beaumont, a fellow civil rights worker. Bill Oliver is working on a book, and I am confident that Mr. Baker would be interested in that projectI would like to contact him. My email address is mikkol.lee61052@gmail.com. My office phone number is 512-366-8161.

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