Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells-Barnett is first among many. Ida B. Wells was a woman dedicated to a cause, a cause to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from being murdered by lynching. She was a civil servant and fought injustices amongst the black community. Ida Wells was a prominent anti-lynching leader, suffragist, journalist, and speaker. Lynching is defined as to take the law into its own hands and kill someone in punishment for a crime or a presumed crime. Ida B. Wells back round made her a logical spokesperson against lynching. She drew on many experiences throughout her life to aid in her crusade.

Her parents nurtured the background of this crusader to make her a great spokesperson. She also held positions throughout her life that allowed her to learn a lot about lynching. She was fueled by her natural drive to search for the truth.

Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Her father, James Wells, was a carpenter and her mother was a cook. After the Civil War her parents became politically active. Her father was known as race man, a term given to African Americans involved in the leadership of the community. He was a local businessman, a mason, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Shaw University. Both parents provided Ida with strong role models.

During Reconstruction she found possession of previously unheard-of freedoms, her civil rights. The most dramatic change was the institution of schools for the education of blacks. The establishment of the Freedman’s Aid Society founded by Shaw University, later renamed Rust College, and was where Ida attended classes. Ida possessed an interest in school, and she quickly worked her way through every book in the Rust College library.

At an early age she demonstrated leadership and a strong liking to journalism. Growing up in Memphis opened opportunities for Ida to further her education at LeMoyne Institution and Fisk University. Her impact among the Negro community was first felt in May 1884. On her way to work, Ida boarded her usual seat on the first-class ladies coach, she was asked by the conductor to move to the forward car, which was a smoker. Wells refused, got off the train, returned to Memphis, and filed suit against the Chesapeake, Ohio, and South Western Railroad Company for refusing to provide her the first-class accommodations for which she paid. In December, 1884 the Memphis Circuit Court ruled in her favor and awarded her $500 in damages. However, her success was short lived when the company appealed the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which reversed the decision. Wells-Barnett’s willingness to use the courts to challenge Jim Crow laws was well ahead of her time. Using her forceful pen to write of her experience and outcome soon led her to writing regularly for the black press throughout the country. Ida gained a reputation for fearlessness because of her militant opinions she openly expressed in print. Through her writings she was able to influence the black community, nonetheless educate them and sympathizers of injustices against them. The impact of Ida B. Wells-Barnett was felt within the Negro community through her anti-lynching crusade, journalistic writings, and prominent organizations. With the sharpness of her pen, Ida raised the battle cry against the American “national crime” of lynching. Infuriated by the Memphis lynching in 1892, which involved a close friend; Ida expressed her grief in an editorial in the local black newspaper, Free Speech: “The city of Memphis has demonstrated that neither character nor standing avails the Negro if he dares to protect himself against the white man or become his rival. However, at this time there was nothing they could do about the lynching now, because they are outnumbered and without arms. Therefore, there was only one solution for them; save their money and leave town, which will neither protect their lives, nor give blacks a fair trial in the courts, when accused by whites. At the same time Wells saw what lynching really was; “a way to destroy blacks” and execute those who had a chance of a better life.

Ida began to investigate into the causes of lynching. Since whites could no longer hold blacks as slaves they found in mob violence a different means of trying to control. The result of her investigation and editorial sparked the black community to retaliate and encourage all who could leave to leave, and those who stayed to boycott the city Railroad Company. The boycott was a success. Her numerous editorials on lynching received an enormous response amongst black Americans. At any rate, Wells-Barnett knew that to campaign effectively against lynching she had to reach white northerners and the northern press.

She began lecturing throughout the Northeast. Touring brought Ida local and international fame, which lead to her invitation overseas. Wells lectured all over England, Scotland, and Wales.