Ida B. Wells is famous for her groundbreaking work as a journalist, civil rights activist, and pioneering leader in the fight against racial injustice—particularly her relentless campaign against lynching in the United States[2]. Born into slavery, she rose to national and international prominence by using her investigative reporting to expose the realities of racial violence and discrimination, challenging mainstream narratives and risking her own safety to do so[3].
Wells became co-owner and editor of the Memphis newspaper Free Speech in 1889, making her one of the few Black women in the country to own and edit a newspaper at that time[1]. After three friends were lynched in Memphis, she published editorials and pamphlets denouncing these acts and investigating the true motives behind lynchings, finding that most victims were innocent and targeted for trivial or fabricated reasons[2].
Her writings, including the influential pamphlet Southern Horrors (1892) and the detailed book A Red Record (1895), documented lynching’s prevalence and debunked myths used to justify the violence[7]. She took her campaign internationally, delivering anti-lynching lectures in the United States and Great Britain, where her work inspired the creation of the London Anti-Lynching Committee and helped reduce documented lynchings in the late 19th century[4].
Beyond her anti-lynching activism, Wells was a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an advocate for women’s suffrage, and established key organizations promoting Black women’s rights and education, such as the National Association of Colored Women and the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago[1]. Her courage and investigative methods set new standards for journalistic integrity and social activism, making her a foundational figure in American history[3].