Ida B. Wells was another woman who was celebrated at our elementary school for Black History Month. The only thing I could remember from back then was that she was a journalist and a writer. I didn’t know if that meant she worked for a news station or what. I also didn’t know what topics she covered. Lynching is a topic I’m certain we didn’t cover in school, but that was one of the main issues Ms. Wells discussed. Fast forward to today. I wanted to dive in and learn more about Ida B. Wells, and here’s what I found.
“A Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every Black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.”
Ida B. Wells
About Ida B. Wells
- Born July 16, 1862 in Mississippi.
- In 1878 both her parents died from yellow fever and soon afterwards she raised her younger siblings.
- Journalist & activist
- Educated at HBCU Rust College and Fisk University.
- Wife & mother of four children.
- After 3 friends of hers were lynched, she began to shed light on lynching in the South via writing. She then published the 100-page book called The Red Record. It’s the first document to record the statistics and history of American lynches.
- In 1889, she became co-owner and editor of The Free Speech and Headlight newspaper, which she used to speak out against racial injustice.
- Founding member of NAACP along with W.E.B. Dubois, Mary Church Terrell, and white members as well.
- Traveled internationally to speak out against lynching. Including speaking to white women in the Women’s Rights Movement who ignored lynching.
- Held anti-lynching demonstration in 1898 in Washington DC as an effort for President William McKinley to bring reform.
- In 1910 founded the Negro Fellowship League. It which assisted new migrants from the South.
- 1913 founded Chicago’s Alpha Suffrage Club. It was for Black women’s right to vote.
- Died March 25, 1931 in Chicago. Her home is a National Historic Landmark, not open to the public.
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
Ida B. Wells
Did you know that on Feb. 28, 2022, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill was passed in the House (422-3)? I guess those 3 who voted against it feel lynching is a sport. The bill is currently waiting for approval from the Senate. There have been 200 attempts since 1900 to get an anti-lynching bill passed, including a reintroduction by Sen Cory Booker, Sen Tim Scott, and Sen Kamala Harris in 2018. The National Memorial for Peace and Peace in Montgomery, Alabama honors over 4,400 African American men, women, and children who were hanged, burned alive, shot, drowned, and beaten to death by white mobs between 1877 and 1950. I was fortunate to visit the site last month in February.
