Influential Female Reporters: Ida B. Wells

 

Ida B. Wells was know as an African-American journalist, editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist and civil rights leader.

Personal Life

• Ida B. Wells, oldest daughter of James and Lizzie Wells, was born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16th, 1862. 

• In 1895 Wells married Ferdinand Barnett and thereafter was known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett. 

• Ida and her husband had 4 children. Two sons and two daughters

• In 1931, at the age of 68, Ida B. Wells died of kidney disease

Achievements in Journalism

Ida B. Wells was one of the most prominent figures in the early civil rights movements in the 19th century. In 1882, she moved to Tennessee with her siblings. After witnessing the racism around her, Wells began to speak out against injustice through her writing. She primarily wrote about not only race, but politics in the South and published her stories in black newspapers. Later, Wells wrote for and co-owned the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. Ida Wells began her anti-lynching campaign in 1892. She spent months traveling through the South investigating lynchings, speaking to eye witnesses and collecting testimonies to expose the South and its racist roots. She ended up moving to New York due to attacks by whites. However, Ida continued to write for papers across the nation. She eventually published a pamphlet titled Southern Horrors: Lynch Law In All Its Phases in 1892. She gained support from Europe for her anti-lynching campaign and in 1898 she spoke to president McKinley about ending lynchings in South Carolina.

Paving the Way

Ida B. Wells shattered the glass ceiling for not only women of color but all women by being an outspoken woman which was no common in the 19th century. Due to Ida's work (ant those like her) women today are able to speak out against injustices through writing in the media. Journalists today should continue to commemorate the work of Ida B. Wells.

Honorable Mentions

• One of the founders of the NAACP

• Active in the Negro Women's Club Movement

• Pulitzer Special Citation Award in 2020

• Publishing A Red Record in 1895

• Founded the Alpha Suffrage Club

• Created the first kindergarten for the black community in Chicago

Sources:

“Ida B. Wells.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 6 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/activist/ida-b-wells.

Nettles, Arionne. “Ida B. Wells' Lasting Impact On Chicago Politics And Power.” NPR, NPR, 4 Nov. 2019, www.npr.org/local/309/2019/11/04/775915510/ida-b-wells-lasting-impact-on-chicago-politics-and-power.

Nwagbo, Nonso, et al. “Ida B. Wells Impact on Black History.” -, 3 Mar. 2021, www.tellersuntold.com/2021/02/05/ida-b-wells-impact-to-black-history/.