Ida b wells autobiography for kids
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Ida B. Wells: Discovering History&#;s Heroes
IDA B. WELLS: DISCOVERING HISTORY'S HEROES, written by prolific children's author Diane Bailey, traces the life story of one of the most accomplished feminists and civil rights icons of the late 19th and early 20th century. At a time when few Black women were able to write about difficult political topics and get published, Ida's writing talent and dedication to social justice earned her the support and respect of major figures like Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery in Mississippi, Ida grew up during the difficult period of the Civil War and its aftermath, known as Reconstruction. Black Americans, especially in the South, were targeted by White racists who resented Black freedom. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan were part of a bigger movement to violently enforce white supremacy, making it almost impossible for Black people to find protection from police or the courts. Ida B. Wells spent her entire c
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Ida B. Wells facts for kids
For the American lawyer, see Ida V. Wells.
Ida B. Wells (full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) (July 16, – March 25, ) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Wells dedicated her lifetime to combating prejudice and violence, the fight for African-American equality, especially that of women, and became arguably the most famous Black woman in the United States of her time.
Born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Wells was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation during the American Civil War. At the age of 14, she lost both her parents and her infant brother in the yellow fever epidemic. She went to work and kept the rest of the family together with the help of her grandmother. Later, moving with some of her siblings to Memphis, Tennessee, Wells found better pay as a teacher. Soon, Wells
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Ida B. Wells
Some of Ida B. Wells&#; descendants
visit a post office named for her
in Holly Springs, Mississippi
Ida B. Wells was born in Mississippi and lived almost half of her life in Illinois. But along the way she spent time in Memphis, and it was there that the course of her life changed.
Today, many people regard Wells &#; a reporter, activist, teacher, organizer and plaintiff &#; as the grandmother of the Civil Rights Movement. We&#;ll tell you her story and let you decide for yourself.
Ida B. Wells was an unlikely candidate for fame. She was a slave when she was born in , although it should be pointed out that her father James Wells &#; also a slave &#; was a skilled carpenter. He was the son of his owner and a slave (so Ida B. Wells&#; grandfather was white). James Wells actually built the home in which Ida was born (and which still stands in Holly Springs, Mississippi).
When the Civil War ended in , Ida B. Wells became one of tens of thousands of former s