The Prophetess
Ida B. Wells was born a slave in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Once the war was over,  Ida’s parents took advantage of that Reconstruction “glow-up” by becoming politically active & getting  Ida a quality education.
1/ Repost from: @praymarchact @janettaONI

After the Yellow Fever epidemic took both her parents, Ida became a teacher to provide for her remaining siblings. She attended Rust College and later moved to Memphis with her aunt for help caring for her siblings. 2/
The short efforts of Reconstruction left many ex-Confederates & former slave owners bitter & in need of a scapegoat. And with federal troops no longer around to enforce Emancipation laws, they chose to rule thru terror. This led to one of America’s greatest sins—lynching.  3/
3 of Ida’s friends were lynched by a mob after protecting their business fr jealous white grocers.  She wrote the tragedy “is what opened her eyes to what lynching really was: An excuse to get rid of Negroes who were acquiring wealth & property & thus keep the race down.” 4/
In response, Ida made it her mission to raise awareness about the injustice of lynching.  She wrote pamphlets, columns, & gave lectures around the world. She organized churches & boycotts & challenged racism in the Women’s Suffrage movement while still supporting their goals 5/
She fought against economic inequality, school segregation, and unfair housing discrimination. If “the least of these” needed a voice, Ida was shouting out for them.
As a result, she became the target of a mob who did not appreciate her writings condemning lynching. 6/
A Memphis mob burned down her office in protest of her unflinching truth about the dignity of the Afro-American. But, Ida didn’t let that stop her. What I love about Ida is that she didn’t wait on others to initiate. She was always starting stuff, in more ways than one. 7/
She started the first black suffrage organization.
She helped to form the NAACP.
She bought shares in and co-partnered the Free Speech and Headlight newspaper.
She even refused to give up her seat on a train 80 years before Rosa Parks famously did the same on a Montgomery bus. 8/
Ida B. Wells’s prophetic voice echoes today. Truth-telling was her antiracist work. In this era, we need brave truth-The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Read the entire powerful piece from @janettaONI https://t.co/I5B4PO8uWV

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