Ida B. Wells was known nationally and internationally as a “crusader for justice.”
She traveled throughout the United States and foreign countries raising awareness of oppression of African Americans and women.
Born on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, she was orphaned at the age of 16 when her parents died as victims of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878.
Ida recieved her education and early training at Shaw University, now Rust College. She became a teacher, journalist and public speaker.
She married Ferdinand Barnett, owner of the Chicago Conservator.
Ida was one of two women who signed “the call” for the formation of the NAACP.
She was a religious woman who read the Bible regularly, read Shakespeare and loved classical music.
In recent years, her hometown honored her legacy by naming the post office the Ida B. Wells Station, and a postage stamp was issued by the U. S. Postal Service commemorating her crusade for human rights.
Ida B. Wells was:
- A passionate crusader against oppression
- A teacher and acclaimed journalist
- An articulate public speaker
- A civil rights activist
- An anti-lynching crusader
- A woman’s rights activist
- One of the founders of the NAACP