Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was an influential African American journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. Born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, she gained her freedom through the Emancipation Proclamation. After losing her parents to a yellow fever epidemic at 16, Wells took on the responsibility of raising her siblings and became a teacher.
Wells moved to Memphis in the 1880s, where she co-owned and wrote for the "Memphis Free Speech" newspaper. Her reporting focused on the injustices faced by African Americans, particularly lynching. In 1892, after the lynching of three friends, she began an anti-lynching campaign, traveling internationally to raise awareness.
She also played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement, co-founding the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs and later helping to establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Wells' fearless activism and writings left a lasting legacy in the fight for civil rights and social justice.