Written By: Angelica Jao
Ida B. Wells was born on July 16, 1862 in Holly Spring, Mississippi. Her parents were slaves and she was unfortunately born a slave and was property to a respective plantation owner. It was because of Wells parents that she became interested in politics and her dedication to achieving her goals. After emancipation, her father Jim Wells, became involved in politics and her mother, Elizabeth Wells, was a religious, strict disciplinarian who dictated a strong work ethic. Emancipation brought about the legalization of negro education and not long after, negro schools were being established. Wells, her siblings, and her mother attended Shaw University to get an education. She developed a love for words and it’s said that she read every book that was in the school library.
Wells moved to memphis in 1883 because of her aunt that promised an ample opportunity for employment and offered to take care of her and her two young sisters. Not long after, she was employed to a school in Woodstock, Tennessee. She took teachers’ training courses and Fisk University and Lemoyne Institute during the summer. By the fall of 1884 she was qualified to teach in the city schools and was assigned to be a first grade teacher.
Her writing career all started on May 4, 1884 when she was riding in the back of a train and the conductor asked her to move up to the front of the train in the smoking car. She refused and the conductor threatened to physically remove her, it took three men to remove her. When Wells got back to Memphis, she hired a lawyer to bring a lawsuit against the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company. Wells won and she was awarded with her $500 in damages. Everyone was interested in the story and it inspired her to write an article for The Living Way, a black church weekly. The editor of The Living Way was so happy with the outcome of the article that they asked for additional contributions and as a result, she began weekly column titled “Iola.”
Ida B. Wells was an activist, journalist, and crusader against lynching. In the 1800s, lynching became a huge problem in the South. After 3 of Wells close friends were lynched she wrote a scathing editorial indictment of lynching called “Eight Men Lynched” in the Free Speech on May 21, 1892. Her editorial led to the destruction of the newspaper Memphis citizens and her exile from the South. On October 5, 1892, she gave a speech in New York in front of 250 African American women about her difficult experiences dealing with the southern lynch codes. She published Southern Horrors: lynch Law in All its Phases, a pamphlet that describes the realities of African Americans in the South.
Ida B. Wells died on March 25, 1931 but she did not die unknown. She made a difference in the world with her dedication and hope for change. She made many accomplishments and her legacy won’t be forgotten.
Ida B. Wells was born on July 16, 1862 in Holly Spring, Mississippi. Her parents were slaves and she was unfortunately born a slave and was property to a respective plantation owner. It was because of Wells parents that she became interested in politics and her dedication to achieving her goals. After emancipation, her father Jim Wells, became involved in politics and her mother, Elizabeth Wells, was a religious, strict disciplinarian who dictated a strong work ethic. Emancipation brought about the legalization of negro education and not long after, negro schools were being established. Wells, her siblings, and her mother attended Shaw University to get an education. She developed a love for words and it’s said that she read every book that was in the school library.
Wells moved to memphis in 1883 because of her aunt that promised an ample opportunity for employment and offered to take care of her and her two young sisters. Not long after, she was employed to a school in Woodstock, Tennessee. She took teachers’ training courses and Fisk University and Lemoyne Institute during the summer. By the fall of 1884 she was qualified to teach in the city schools and was assigned to be a first grade teacher.
Her writing career all started on May 4, 1884 when she was riding in the back of a train and the conductor asked her to move up to the front of the train in the smoking car. She refused and the conductor threatened to physically remove her, it took three men to remove her. When Wells got back to Memphis, she hired a lawyer to bring a lawsuit against the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company. Wells won and she was awarded with her $500 in damages. Everyone was interested in the story and it inspired her to write an article for The Living Way, a black church weekly. The editor of The Living Way was so happy with the outcome of the article that they asked for additional contributions and as a result, she began weekly column titled “Iola.”
Ida B. Wells was an activist, journalist, and crusader against lynching. In the 1800s, lynching became a huge problem in the South. After 3 of Wells close friends were lynched she wrote a scathing editorial indictment of lynching called “Eight Men Lynched” in the Free Speech on May 21, 1892. Her editorial led to the destruction of the newspaper Memphis citizens and her exile from the South. On October 5, 1892, she gave a speech in New York in front of 250 African American women about her difficult experiences dealing with the southern lynch codes. She published Southern Horrors: lynch Law in All its Phases, a pamphlet that describes the realities of African Americans in the South.
Ida B. Wells died on March 25, 1931 but she did not die unknown. She made a difference in the world with her dedication and hope for change. She made many accomplishments and her legacy won’t be forgotten.