Ida: Once a Slave Now a Hero
She was a daughter. She was a teacher. She was a justice
advocate. Ida B. Wells, delivered on July 16, 1862, was born a slave
and spent her childhood with her father James, and her mother Elizabeth
along with her five younger siblings. She was a daring and fearless
girl who was not afraid to speak her mind and did well in the fight for
equality and justice. When Ida was 16 she became a "mother" to her
sisters and brothers. Writing for Free Speech, Ida spoke of many
lynchings and why they were wrong. Thankfully, when she wrote
pamphlets such as Southern Horrors, they were accepted and published.
While away in Philadelphia, racists, who had also killed some of Ida's
friends, broke into her printing press and trashed it. Luckily she was
not there. In her life, she did many things that really served to
advance in race among blacks and whites.
On a positively warm day in July, James and Elizabeth Wells
welcomed their first daughter Ida Bell Wells into the world in Holly
Springs, Mississippi. Cuddly and cute, Ida was named after her mom's
older sister Isabelle. The Civil War was going on for the beginning of
Ida's childhood. Her Father "Jim," was a talented carpenter and his
wife "Lizzie," was a famous cook who worked as a slave for Spires
Bolling, who was their owner, and his family. Compassionately, Mr.
Bolling made the choice to let Ida stay instead of selling her to the
slave traders when they came through the small town of Holly Springs.
He was very kind. When Abraham Lincoln became president, he worked
very hard to set slaves free. In 1865, Ida, who was three years old,
was set free along with her parents because of the Emancipation
Proclamation. She was able to receive an education at Shaw University
until learned to read her bible and write. Ida Bell recalled her mother
telling her that Ida's "job" is to "learn all you could." Once she had
mastered reading and writing, Ida stopped attending school during her
childhood, and came home to help her mom around the house.
During the summer of no school in 1878, a yellow fever epidemic
had swept through many states and by September it had spread throughout
Holly Springs. While Ida was visiting her Grandma in a neighboring
county, three men from Holly Springs arrived to bring her tragic news.
They gave Ida a letter and the words "leapt" out at her. "Jim and
Lizzie Wells have both died of the fever. They died within 24 hours of
each other. A lady from the Howard Association was sent to take care
of the children." Sadly, her nine-month old baby brother Stanley, had
died along with his parents. When she finally returned home to take
care of the remaining children, Ida left Shaw University where she
first learned to read and write, and found a teaching job about six
miles from their home. The children, loved her so much, that they
brought small gifts such as eggs to their beloved teacher. In 1879,
Ida's Aunt Fanny invited Ida and two of her sisters to come to Memphis,
Tennessee to live with her for a while. When Ida was offered a
teaching position, which was better paying, she gratefully accepted.
She adored school.
When she saved enough money, Ida was able to buy fancy dresses,
hats, gloves, and boots. In 1884 she began her battle for racial and
gender justice. Ida bought a first class ticket for the train and took
her comfortable seat in the lady's car. The conductor asked her to
leave and take a seat in the "colored peoples car." Unfortunately, he
got his hand badly bitten when he attempted to remove Ida by force. He
called his buddies. They unfastened Ida from her seat and dragged her
off the train. After that, she hired a black lawyer and sued the
Railroad Company. She won that round but when it was laid upon the
Supreme Court, they turned her down and Ida was unable to receive her
$500 that she had won. Using her savings to be part owner of Free
Speech, which was a local newspaper, Ida wrote about her incident on
the train and also composed scoops about several cases where black
people had suffered at the hands of white racists. The whites hated
the blacks like a deer hates a hunter. On March 9, 1892, when three
African American men were lynched, Ida wrote about the horrifying
event. Ida, returning from a trip, discovered that the murderers of
her three friends had ruined her printing press and ceased to have
world peace. She continued her fight for justice.
Born in Mississippi, Ida Wells spent her childhood with her five
siblings as well as her parents. Attending Shaw University, Ida
learned to read and write and became a teacher at age 16. When Ida
moved to Memphis, she began teaching at a better paying school , and
eventually started writing for several local newspapers. When she lost
her fight for justice on the train, she devoted her life to journalism.
Happily, in 1894 Ida married Ferdinand Barnett, the founder of the
first African American newspaper called the Conservator, and they had
four kids: Charles, Herman, Ida, and Alfreda. Ida, who was the founder
of NAACP and NACW, died on March 25, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. Once a
slave now a hero, Ida was a light trying to reach out to make the world
an equal place.
This was a biography that I wrote about a month ago. I requested a book about her from the library. When I got it, it was 2-3inches thick! Of course I didn't read the whole thing. At least I got the information that I needed to complete my assignment.
