Ida B. Wells - University of Virginia
Educating For Democracy
PROFILE OF RESISTANCE
Ida B. Wells
activist, journalist
¡°The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.¡±
Background Information
Born: July 16, 1862
Death: March 25, 1931
C OURTESY OF BIOGRAPHY . COM
Ida B. Wells was born into slavery to parents James
and Lizzie Wells in 1862. The Emancipation
Proclamation was issued shortly after her birth and
soon freed her family. Wells¡¯ parents became active
in the community and helped to create Rust College
for Black students. Ida received her education at
Rust until she was 16, when her parents and one
sibling died of the yellow fever. As a result, Ida was
forced to drop out of school to help support her
family financially. Wells first worked as a teacher,
and then continued her education at Fisk University
in Nashville, Tennessee.1
Wells¡¯ Resistance
Wells was riding on a train after purchasing a first-class ticket, and was forcibly removed
from the first-class car. She then hired a lawyer to sue the railroad company and initially won
the case, but later the Supreme Court reviewed the case, and found Wells was the one at
fault. Wells knew this was wrong and began writing articles for newspapers challenging the
Jim Crow laws in the south. 2 She then began protesting a local lynching in her area where
three black men were murdered by a mob of people. Wells wrote newspaper articles to bring
attention to the issue of lynching in the South causing people to break into the newspaper
and destroy her equipment and threaten her life, forcing her to move to Chicago.2 She was
also a strong supporter for women¡¯s right to vote.3
Achievements
Wells¡¯ methods as a journalism inspired the field of investigative journalism. In 1988, Wells
was inducted into the National Women¡¯s Hall of Fame. In May 2020, Wells was awarded a
Pulitzer Prize special citation for her courageous actions challenging lynching and violence
towards African Americans during her life.3
Editors (24, June 2020) Ida B. Wells. A & E Television Networks. Retrieved from
2 Steptoe, T. (2007, January 19) Ida Wells-Barnett (1862-1931). Retrieved from
3 Wikipedia contributors. (2020c, October 17). Ida B. Wells. Wikipedia.
1
Page | 1
Educating For Democracy
Essential Questions
1. Why is Wells a role model?
2. How were her actions acts of resistance? What was it that she was working
against/to resist?
3. What are two adjectives you would use to describe Wells? How can you be more like
her in your life?
4. ¡°The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.¡±
a. What can you shine light on to create change in your community?
Page | 2
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- civil disobedience social justice nationalism populism violent
- the university of chicago library the university of chicago library
- long form teacher s guide for ida b wells let the truth be told by
- ida b wells consider the facts 1899
- red record individual lives i know why the caged bird sings a red
- famous speeches ida b wells lynching our national crime 1909
- a people s biography of by todd steven burroughs imwil
- ida b wells university of virginia
- bill of rights in action constitutional rights foundation
- the reason why
Related searches
- mariner finance of virginia llc
- state of virginia unclaimed funds
- state of virginia unclaimed money
- state of virginia unclaimed property
- state of virginia statistics
- treasury of virginia unclaimed property
- commonwealth of virginia unclaimed money
- state of virginia teacher licensure
- city of virginia beach school locator
- state of virginia unclaimed property website
- state of virginia elected officials
- state of virginia pension plan