Born in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862, Ida B. Wells Barnett was a teacher and a member of the group which co-founded the NAACP. She also was a journalist who shed light on African American news and culture of her time.
Following in the footsteps of her father, James Wells, was an early civil rights leader along with her husband Ferdinand L. Barnett. She opposed the bondage of blacks and was a prominent anti-lynching activist. Additionally, Wells fought for women’s rights and was a suffrage activist.
She began her career as a writer by submitting articles to The Living Way and later became the co-owner and editor of Free Speech and Headlight. This publication focused on racial injustice. Following the lynching death of three friends, Wells utilized the power of the pen to mobilize blacks in Memphis and then launched an extensive investigation of lynching throughout the south. Her research resulted in the pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws in All Its Phases.
Ida B. Wells remains a powerful inspirational woman for all time, who paved the way for many influential women even today.
