Ida B. Wells’ Life and Journalism: Essay

November 2023

Looking back on history from modern times, it can be hard to recognize the struggles important figures had to both endure and originate from in order to do their work and break new ground. In the life of Ida B. Wells, born the eldest daughter to a family of slaves in Mississippi, persistent oppression was not enough to silence her strong and popularly impulsive nature as she went on to do incredible work, partnering with her Christian faith, for civil rights and feminism while also being an early journalism influence. Even being born in 1862, Wells received an early education from Rust College, a school her own father helped establish as an African American and Freedman’s Aid Society member himself (Ida B. Wells (U.S. National Park Service). She later continued education while independently supporting her family at sixteen, but at the same time never gave up fighting and pushing for the rights we celebrate today and often take for granted. She is often credited as a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or NAACP for whom she distributed anti-lynching public opinion by various publications and tours while she herself started organizations like the National Association of Colored Women. Despite her humble beginning, Ida B. Wells was born with a mission to mold a new future beyond her own borders, and paired with her faith, ultimately laid the ground work for modern journalism. Many groups and institutions, ensuring that generations after her might be more equal, free from injustice, and abandoning bigotry.

Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs Mississippi as the oldest daughter of her family. Her father had his own knack for activism, as he worked to offer education while participating in the Freedman’s Aid Society since the school he helped start, Rust College, was where Wells received her early education. Although she was later forced to drop out, the school remains one of only ten historically-black institutions still operating that were established before 1869 (National Park Service, Ida B. Wells ). However, when both Wells’ parents died along with one of her siblings at the hands of Yellow Fever, sixteen year old Ida was forced to take care of the family completely on her own. In 1882, she moved her family to Memphis, Tennessee where they lived with an aunt and Wells began attending Fisk University in Nashville. The following year, Wells established the first club for black women after the conclusion of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, as a group formed the first kindergarten for black children and first black orchestra for the city while raising money to prosecute a police officer who had killed an innocent African American man. In this era of her life, events like these began to occur that influenced the rest of her career. For instance, in 1884, Wells had purchased a first class train ticket in which she was denied seating and was redirected to the African American reserved car, in which she also denied. This led Wells to eventually bite a crew member trying to escort her out, influencing her to sue the railroad, winning $500 (Britannica, Ida B. Wells-Barnett 2023). The Tennessee Supreme Court later overturned the decision, however. Based on this event, Wells was driven to begin writing and reporting on the political and racial climate as “she later became an owner of two newspapers; The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight and Free Speech.” (Ida B. Wells (National Park Service). Her journalism influence was brewing and the country was as in need as ever.

In 1892, Wells began a major focus trying to end lynching following such incidents like the murder of her personal friend and two of his business associates with whom he had opened a grocery store to compete with white-owned stores. As this caused conflict, the owners harassed and subsequently threatened the black-owned store leading to an eventual fight where a few white men were shot, the others and Wells’ friend being arrested, jailed, and given no defense only to later be removed from their cells by a Lynch mob and killed. Based on events like these Wells began touring the South speaking and continuously still writing, ultimately risking her life to begin informing others about the reality of the injustices. Wells married Ferdinand Barnett in 1895 with whom she had four children, but the work wasn’t over. By 1896, Wells had started multiple civil rights organizations, one of which being the National Association of Colored Women, and was an early influence of what became the NAACP which Wells later disconnected from due to believing their initiatives to lack action and skepticism on the leadership being predominantly white. With her time there though, Wells took the initiative to begin getting the word out laying the foundation for the organization’s entire anti-lynching campaign. According to the Library of Congress, “she mobilized public opinion against lynching through her newspaper editorials, pamphlets, clubs, and lecture tours in the northern United States and Great Britain. She also served as secretary of the Afro-American Council, directing its anti-lynching bureau” (Naacp and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP: A century in the fight for Freedom Prelude.) In 1919, Wells helped fight the reinstatement of Frank Davis, the previous Alexander County, Illinois sheriff, whom had failed to prevent a black man’s lynching in Cairo, Illinois. Because of the investigation Wells preformed on the case herself and brought to Governor Charles Deneen, he refused to reinstate Davis even though political pressure was heavily against his decision (Townes, Ida B. Wells-Barnett: An Afro-american prophet).

Through to the end of her life, Wells was a powerhouse political voice for African Americans, eventually specifically focusing on women’s suffrage and right to vote. In 1913, Wells established Chicago’s Alpha Suffrage Club which organized Chicago women to elect candidates who would uplift the black community the most (National Park Service). Organizers invited the club to march in the 1913 Suffrage Parade, but with the presence of white Southern suffragists were afraid Wells’ group would offend them, causing them to ask them to walk in the rear. When Wells refused, she stood on the sidelines of the fanfare until the white Chicago contingent women passed at which point she rejoined the procession among them while the rest of the club complied in the rear. Her strong will carried her far until March 25, 1931 when Ida Wells died of kidney disease in Chicago.

Her legacy lives on as modern journalists and activists continue to push for change and transparency, even today unfortunately still on some of the same issues as Wells. In her name, there is the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting which focuses on “increasing and retaining reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting” while it also “seeks to educate news organizations and journalists on how the inclusion of diverse voices can raise the caliber, impact and visibility of investigative journalism as a means of promoting transparency and good government” (Ida B Wells Society, About.) Her work echos even today in a number of the programs, legislation, and even institutions we see in our society and government. All who see her work can witness to the true passion she had for justice and equality all in the name of her faith, and all should be encouraged by her bravery to do right by her own. 


References

Britannica. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ida-B-Wells-Barnett

Ida B. Wells (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/people/ idabwells.htm

Ida B Wells Society. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://idabwellssociety.org/about/

Naacp, & National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (2009). NAACP: A century in the fight for Freedom Prelude. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ naacp/ prelude.html#:~:text=Ida%20B.&text=She%20mobilized%20public%20opinion%20agai nst,directing%20its%20anti%2Dlynching%20bureau .

Townes, E. (n.d.). Ida B. Wells-Barnett: An Afro-american prophet. Retrieved from https:// www.religion-online.org/article/ida-b-wells-barnett-an-afro-american-prophet/