Civil rights activist, journalist, and teacher Ida B. Wells died on this day in 1931. Born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, she and her parents were freed following the Emancipation Proclamation. She began writing as a newspaper editor at the Memphis Evening Star, where she gained critical acclaim, before moving on to co-own the Free Speech and Headlight. But in 1892, something happened that changed the course of her life: Her close friend, Thomas Moss, was lynched.
After reporting on the killing for her paper, a mob lit the office on fire. She then proceeded to investigate further lynchings, publishing yet more articles on them. She kept spreading awareness, including internationally, and later on started to advocate for the rights of women and Black people. She founded several suffrage groups for Black women while continuing her anti-lynching work, and after World War I also sounded the alarm about discrimination against Black veterans.
You can learn more about Wells in this article from womenshistory.org.
