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Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was one of the foremost crusaders against black oppression. This engaging memoir tells of her private life as mother of a growing family as well as her public activities as teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight against attitudes and laws oppressing blacks.
"No student of black history should overlook Crusade for Justice."—William M. Tuttle, Jr., Journal of American History
"Besides being the story of an incredibly courageous and outspoken black woman in the face of innumerable odds, the book is a valuable contribution to the social history of the United States and to the literature of the women's movement as well."—Elizabeth Kolmer, American Quarterly
"[Wells was] a sophisticated fighter whose prose was as thorough as her intellect."—Walter Goodman, New York Times
"An illuminating narrative of a zealous, race-conscious, civic- and church-minded black woman reformer, whose life story is a significant chapter in the history of Negro-White relations."—Thelma D. Perry, Negro History Bulletin
"No student of black history should overlook Crusade for Justice."—William M. Tuttle, Jr., Journal of American History
"Besides being the story of an incredibly courageous and outspoken black woman in the face of innumerable odds, the book is a valuable contribution to the social history of the United States and to the literature of the women's movement as well."—Elizabeth Kolmer, American Quarterly
"[Wells was] a sophisticated fighter whose prose was as thorough as her intellect."—Walter Goodman, New York Times
"An illuminating narrative of a zealous, race-conscious, civic- and church-minded black woman reformer, whose life story is a significant chapter in the history of Negro-White relations."—Thelma D. Perry, Negro History Bulletin
466 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
79 books191 followersIda Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist and, with her husband, newspaper owner Ferdinand L. Barnett, an early leader in the civil rights movement. She documented lynching in the United States, showing how it was often a way to control or punish blacks who competed with whites, often under the guise of rape charges. She was active in women's rights and the women's suffrage movement, establishing several notable women's organizations. Wells was a skilled and persuasive rhetorician, and traveled internationally on lecture tours.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 12, 2017
4.5/5
[H]e would say without qualification that he could not imagine a crime so great that it would need be avenged by lynch law in any country in the world; and what was more he did not believe that crime ever was avenged by lynch law without the lowering of the moral tone of the community, and without the introduction of worse evils than were attempted to be suppressed.Out of the many books I've tasked myself with getting to, this is one of the ones I've spent the most effort on. Not only did I unhesitatingly shell out for it at an actual store rather than do my customary waiting on the benevolence of book sale shelves, I kept it on my intended 2017 YoRWoC plan from the beginning, only now reading it after the year is nearly through. The rating may make it seem that this effort was less than fully re-compensated, but rather, it made me realize the necessity of Wells having a biographer in the wake of her autobiography. Comprehensively detailed and admirable forthright as this text is, pages are missing, the ending lies unfinished, and with the sheer amount of constantly thwarted triumphs plaguing Wells' life, it can be assumed that this tale has been severely compromised by ill health from stress, lack of time, and judging from the near to the end transcription that all had been for naught, dearth of motivation. While stereotype demanded a lone woman in the face of her work, I'm glad Wells had her family around her, who I hope sustained her when, once again, the white people had closed in their murderous ranks and the black people had withdrawn into their androcentric stagnation. I can't imagine going on once again, and again, and again in the face of this, and yet Ida B. Wells did just that.
Although it was a well-merited rebuke from her point of view, I could not tell [Susan B.] Anthony that it was because I had been unable, like herself, to get the support which was necessary to car yon my work that I had become discouraged in the effort to carry on alone. For that reason I welcomed the opportunity of trying to help unite our people so that there would be a following to help in the arduous work necessary.There is, more often than not, an inverse relationship between what a person is known for and what a person is judged for. The most famous, usually by demographic means, have their secrets of which display is censured, the most infamous have their aided and abetted descendants, and the heroes are: gone. Wells is only one of many, and she is one of the more well known, having myriad texts that, from my view , are increasingly coming back to life. That didn't make her story any less frustrating to read, as the sheer number of times when she was the initiative to something that either she didn't have enough time or money to run, she couldn't find someone to take up her mantel, or was simply conspired against till her hardworking dedication and utmost bravery was either thwarted, misinterpreted, misused, or flat out stolen and attributed to someone else. The list of the latter includes W.E.B. Du Bois, among others, all of whom have suffered a decrease in reputation with me, as much as Susan B. Anthony has, surprisingly, enjoyed an increase. She had her moments of whiteness over femininity, but was far more strident about proto-intersectionality upon meeting Wells. This ties back to the odd focus had on good, in Wells' book, white people, as if she needed specific reminders of humanity to stand staunch against the tide committing such atrocities that she battled for the entirety of her life. I'd imagine she was as honest about this as well as her criticisms of individuals of the black community of her time, but it makes for a discomforting balanced concoction. Other than her husband and a few religious leaders and those she helped, I can't think of any peers she didn't eventually and justly turn her back upon, which makes for a sad reading. I don't wish she had been any less active in her social justice; it's just a disgrace what such heroism affords for certain demographics.
An effort was made to have a resolution passed by that convention condemning lynching, as the Methodist Episcopal Conference had done at Omaha in May. The committee on resolutions decided that it could not be done as they had too many southern delegates present and did not wish to offend them.I'll be picking up anything I can of Wells, author as well as authored. She is one of many who deserve such recognition on the scale afforded to her oppressors and her ostracizers, and as attested to by a reference in Black Deutschland, she's made an impact that can be well built upon. I'm not sure what's happening to her in the academic world, but I do know that here, she has my review and the 500 GBBW project behind her. I can only hope she inspires others as much in the political and academic realms as she has me.
When the people needed such criticism, I felt he ought to have done as we did—tell them about it at home rather than tell our enemies abroad.
A civilized community does not need lynch law[.]
January 31, 2012
The title definitely does this book justice! In her last years, Wells wrote this autobiography which I feel many historians should read. It's sad that she is not as well known of an African American hero because she is a woman, but she is just as courageous as Fredrick Douglas and Du Bois. After her parents both died within 24 hours of each other from the 1878 yellow fever epidemic, Wells was the oldest of 6 and had to take care of her younger siblings. She became a teacher and was continuously involved in writing for African American journals and newspapers. She investigated the psychological reasoning behind why whites would accuse black men of raping white women. Lynching, Wells stated, was just an excuse to get rid of blacks competing economically with whites and to terrorize future competitors and all blacks, ultimately treating them as second class citizens. Wells went to England to help advocate against lynching and while in London she formed the anti-lynching community which was the first in the world! In England, the people did not know of the harsh treatments African Americans were receiving in the US so Wells informed them. Of course the US denied having supported any sort of lynching because England was huge importer of cotton which made them indispensable economically if they decided to boycott US cotton due to lynchings. With this anti-lynching community, there was a declining result of lynchings and mob violence and even a two decade span of none being reported. Wells also helped 12 Africans Americans be released from prison and the death sentence after the 1919 Elaine, Arkansas Race Riot where over 100 blacks were murdered by whites for holding a meeting to obtain better payments for their cotton crops as sharecroppers with the white plantation owners. Instead of arresting the white men, the police arrested the blacks and 79 were charged for crimes, tried, and convicted! Wells used the power of the media and wrote pamphlets in protest for these 12 men and the NAACP and Walter White helped form legal defenses to overturn the Elaine convictions. Wells did a lot for African Americans to have some sort of justice in a time of Jim Crow laws and dangerous mob violence in the US. She should be remembered as a crucial black woman that helped in the racially uplift movement along side Du Bois.
September 1, 2020
Another amazing woman who fought tirelessly for justice.
My review: https://www.greatbookstudy.com/2020/0...
My review: https://www.greatbookstudy.com/2020/0...
May 1, 2016
As I started this book, I realized it is actually the first autobiography I have ever read. I'm so glad I started with this one. Ida B. Wells was a powerful, intelligent and dedicated person whose influence on the Civil Rights movement cannot be understated. Direct and matter-of-fact, Mrs. Wells-Barnett's personality is almost palpable on the page. Known for her campaigns against lynchings in the South, she traveled all across America and to Great Britain doing the work.
One thing that struck me while reading was that, while many of the things she did during her life certainly took tremendous bravery, mostly they were simply the right thing to do. Lynch law in America gave way to almost unspeakable atrocities. Mrs. Wells talks about a woman who was sealed in a wooden barrel, and after the barrel had many nails driven through the sides she was rolled down a hill until she died. Mrs. Wells fought back. She told the stories of the victims and demanded their justice, either with community action, or by herself. She denounced murderers and held white people accountable for their actions even though the law rarely did. In everything she brought hard, logical reasoning and facts to the discussion, believing that the truth would set her and her community free. I will teach my kids about her and hope that I can one day be able to stand up even a little the way that she did.
Interestingly, one of the most common themes in the book involved the procedural elements of organized action by grass-roots committees. I was fascinated to watch, through Mrs. Wells stories, how movements begin, how change is enacted in a community.Mrs. Barnett could control a committee meeting like few others could. As an talented public speaker, she knew how to speak so that people would listen carefully and her experience as a journalist helped her write forceful statements on behalf of the cause. As a side note, the book includes sources and extra information in the footnotes, which of course the academic in me loves.
One thing that really got me thinking was when she wrote about her experiences speaking in England to raise awareness about the repugnant lynch law in the South. She was able to tell many people about the atrocities, and was even able to raise money when needed. However, the brutal imperialist history of Great Britain complicates everything. The horrors of Britain's time in India were only mentioned in one paragraph. But it fascinates me to think about her speaking about racism to racists, albeit a different kind than she was used to.
In the preface, Mrs. Wells tells a story of a young black woman asking her about her life. She notes that afterward, she realized that the woman did not have any record to which she could be directed in order to learn about the history of the struggle for equal rights. This incident served as the impetus for her to write her story, since "[t]he history of this entire period... reflected glory on the race... Yet most of it is buried in oblivion and only the southern white man's misrepresentations are in the public libraries and college textbooks of the land." (5) In my opinion, this book is an incredible part of the foundation for that record. She worked tirelessly, and often alone, her whole life. She pursued what was right and good with conviction, all the way up to her death. In fact, the last sentence stops MID WORD. I'm so glad the editor chose to leave it that way, because the work is unfinished.
One thing that struck me while reading was that, while many of the things she did during her life certainly took tremendous bravery, mostly they were simply the right thing to do. Lynch law in America gave way to almost unspeakable atrocities. Mrs. Wells talks about a woman who was sealed in a wooden barrel, and after the barrel had many nails driven through the sides she was rolled down a hill until she died. Mrs. Wells fought back. She told the stories of the victims and demanded their justice, either with community action, or by herself. She denounced murderers and held white people accountable for their actions even though the law rarely did. In everything she brought hard, logical reasoning and facts to the discussion, believing that the truth would set her and her community free. I will teach my kids about her and hope that I can one day be able to stand up even a little the way that she did.
Interestingly, one of the most common themes in the book involved the procedural elements of organized action by grass-roots committees. I was fascinated to watch, through Mrs. Wells stories, how movements begin, how change is enacted in a community.Mrs. Barnett could control a committee meeting like few others could. As an talented public speaker, she knew how to speak so that people would listen carefully and her experience as a journalist helped her write forceful statements on behalf of the cause. As a side note, the book includes sources and extra information in the footnotes, which of course the academic in me loves.
One thing that really got me thinking was when she wrote about her experiences speaking in England to raise awareness about the repugnant lynch law in the South. She was able to tell many people about the atrocities, and was even able to raise money when needed. However, the brutal imperialist history of Great Britain complicates everything. The horrors of Britain's time in India were only mentioned in one paragraph. But it fascinates me to think about her speaking about racism to racists, albeit a different kind than she was used to.
In the preface, Mrs. Wells tells a story of a young black woman asking her about her life. She notes that afterward, she realized that the woman did not have any record to which she could be directed in order to learn about the history of the struggle for equal rights. This incident served as the impetus for her to write her story, since "[t]he history of this entire period... reflected glory on the race... Yet most of it is buried in oblivion and only the southern white man's misrepresentations are in the public libraries and college textbooks of the land." (5) In my opinion, this book is an incredible part of the foundation for that record. She worked tirelessly, and often alone, her whole life. She pursued what was right and good with conviction, all the way up to her death. In fact, the last sentence stops MID WORD. I'm so glad the editor chose to leave it that way, because the work is unfinished.
April 2, 2022
Hearing about her experiences in her own words was everything! Particularly hearing about how people treated her in real time?! Who stood ten toes down and who actively worked against her along the way. Makes things that happen today make so much sense.
July 29, 2013
This is a really extraordinary book. It is a retrospective account of her campaigns through the south and in the UK to condemn and eliminate lynchings. I, like most people, knew well her life and work, but I had never read her actual words. She was an immensely powerful writer, incredibly gifted and seemed to instinctively understand what we now consider key media principles: keep coming back to your points, use empathy, back up your statements. Best book I've read in a long time.
April 24, 2020
If you love at least one of the following:
- Investigative reporting
- A woman standing up for justice, for herself and others, no matter what
- Dramatic people who can't take a hint getting taken down for their errors
- Truth, justice, the American way
..you'll be sure to love this book.
- Investigative reporting
- A woman standing up for justice, for herself and others, no matter what
- Dramatic people who can't take a hint getting taken down for their errors
- Truth, justice, the American way
..you'll be sure to love this book.
July 17, 2020
Ida B Wells was such an incredible woman. Born into slavery in 1862 she became a lifelong crusader against lynching as well as an outspoken critic of Jim Crow. Many years before Rosa Parks, Ida refused to sit in the colored section of a railcar and even bit the conductor who tried to remove her. The year was 1883 and Ida sued the railroad winning a $500 settlement in court but overturned on appeal. Three of her friends were lynched for defending their grocery store from a mob and Ida, a part owner in a local newspaper, condemned not only the lynching but the complicit silence of the entire town. Her newspaper encouraged the blacks in Memphis to boycott local businesses and move elsewhere; many went to Oklahoma. Ida's paper was destroyed and she ended up relocating to the East but the experience really ignited a movement. She would go on speaking tours against lynching which took her to England where she garnered support from religious leaders to pass resolutions condemning lynch law. I was surprised at the naivete among many that she encountered who couldn't believe such things were happening in America. After all it is the 19th century and didn't the Civil War resolve race relations? Ida would also found so many organizations I couldn't keep track. She created a civic club that also doubled as an employment agency. She would also be instrumental in the founding of the NAACP.
The work is unfinished and there are some rough patches but I found "Crusade for Justice" highly readable and at times engrossing. There are some fascinating anecdotes. At the Worlds' Fair in Chicago in 1893 Frederick Douglas asks Ida to lunch. Spotting a cafe across the street, she at first suggests going there until she realizes it's for whites only. Douglas' reply is 'let's give it a try' and they walk into the cafe nonetheless. At the time Douglas was such a celebrity that the manager of the cafe fawned all over him. Later he joked with Ida that they didn't have much time for their own conversation.
Many times Ida put her own life at risk. At the tale end of WWI there was a riot in Houston and 13 black soldiers were hung. Ida printed buttons in support of the soldiers and secret service showed up at her office demanding she hand over the buttons or be charged with treason. Her response (paraphrased) - put the cuffs on my now; I'd rather spend the rest of my days in prison than not do what's right.
At her civic center she helped a young man find a job who was later arrested and beaten by the police. She would file a complaint on the officer for brutality - unfortunately the case didn't go anywhere because all the witnesses were too frightened to come forward.
Ida also tells the story of a young black woman who had been kept almost as a slave to a white family. This woman who was forbidden to have any contact with 'members of her own race', one day was observed talking to a black man. She was beaten and fled, ending up at Ida's civic center. The family refused to return the woman's clothes so Ida marches down to their house letting them know that she's a probation officer and if they didn't return the clothes she would file suit for 5 years worth of back wages. The clothes were returned.
There are also stories of men who had been arrested and would have been lynched had Ida B Wells not intervened. Ida B Wells is such an inspiring woman in so many ways. I highly recommend this work!
The work is unfinished and there are some rough patches but I found "Crusade for Justice" highly readable and at times engrossing. There are some fascinating anecdotes. At the Worlds' Fair in Chicago in 1893 Frederick Douglas asks Ida to lunch. Spotting a cafe across the street, she at first suggests going there until she realizes it's for whites only. Douglas' reply is 'let's give it a try' and they walk into the cafe nonetheless. At the time Douglas was such a celebrity that the manager of the cafe fawned all over him. Later he joked with Ida that they didn't have much time for their own conversation.
Many times Ida put her own life at risk. At the tale end of WWI there was a riot in Houston and 13 black soldiers were hung. Ida printed buttons in support of the soldiers and secret service showed up at her office demanding she hand over the buttons or be charged with treason. Her response (paraphrased) - put the cuffs on my now; I'd rather spend the rest of my days in prison than not do what's right.
At her civic center she helped a young man find a job who was later arrested and beaten by the police. She would file a complaint on the officer for brutality - unfortunately the case didn't go anywhere because all the witnesses were too frightened to come forward.
Ida also tells the story of a young black woman who had been kept almost as a slave to a white family. This woman who was forbidden to have any contact with 'members of her own race', one day was observed talking to a black man. She was beaten and fled, ending up at Ida's civic center. The family refused to return the woman's clothes so Ida marches down to their house letting them know that she's a probation officer and if they didn't return the clothes she would file suit for 5 years worth of back wages. The clothes were returned.
There are also stories of men who had been arrested and would have been lynched had Ida B Wells not intervened. Ida B Wells is such an inspiring woman in so many ways. I highly recommend this work!
April 3, 2008
Black Feminist Theory Text, and a history of one of my own personal heroes. Organizers and leaders can learn from her unrelenting belief in the need to change the detrimental laws and beliefs of the day.
July 25, 2011
Upon reading this you begin to understand why Ida struggled to keep friends... she was uncomprimising on all levels, but a visionary crusader nonetheless. Her book serves as an excellent insight into the struggle for African- American justice as well as African-American women's rights.
August 13, 2011
One of the ten most extrodinary women in American history and I'd bet less than 1 in 10 peoples have even heard of her, this is a great story of a great woman
August 30, 2015
This memoir is so pertinent to what is happening in the US today. Required reading!
March 28, 2016
This. Is. A. Soficated. Book. I. Really. Adore. What. And. Amazeing. Woman. Thanks. Doris.
October 22, 2021
After reading this, I wasn't going write a review initially. I still have one more book on my sister to get through. But then this happened:
"My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice, but they also told me, “That’s somebody else’s problem, not yours. You’re going to overcome it, and you are going to be anything you want to be.” And that’s the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids." -Condelezza Rice
Then I got to thinking about the world she and I would have grew up in if Mrs. Wells-Barnett had been taught or felt that what she did was "somebody else's problem". It brings me back to a poem...
The critics cry unfair
yet the poem is born.
Some black emancipated baby
will scratch his head
wondering why you felt compelled
to say whatever you said.
A black poet must bear in mind
the misery.
The color-seekers fear poems
they can’t buy for a ten-dollar
bill or with a clever contract.
Some black kid is bound to read you.
A black poet must remember the horrors.
The good jobs can’t last forever.
It shall come to pass that the fury
of a token revolution will fade
into the bank accounts of countless blacks
and freedom-loving whites.
The brilliant novels shall pass
into the archives of a ‘keep cool
We’ve done enough for you’ generation:
the movement organizations already
await their monthly checks from Downtown
and
Only the forgotten walls of a few black
poets and artists
shall survive the then of then,
the now of now.
A black kid searching for pieces of His past and literary greatness of His people that isn't taught in public school found Conrad Kent Rivers, while those with monthly checks from Downtown say "It's not my problem". And again... here I sit... scratching my head... But I'll never forget the horrors and don't give a damn who feels bad about it! And thanks to people like Mrs. Wells-Barnett who felt it wasn't somebody else's problem, we have those facts. The question I'm left with is... if we teach our children that the world's problems are somebody else's problem... then exactly who is going to solve those problems when everybody thinks it's somebody else's problem?
Ida B. Wells-Barnett is a shero of mine. There was more courage in that one lady than in most men living today. I don't want to be like Mike (or Condelezza for that matter)... I want to be like Ida!
"My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice, but they also told me, “That’s somebody else’s problem, not yours. You’re going to overcome it, and you are going to be anything you want to be.” And that’s the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids." -Condelezza Rice
Then I got to thinking about the world she and I would have grew up in if Mrs. Wells-Barnett had been taught or felt that what she did was "somebody else's problem". It brings me back to a poem...
The critics cry unfair
yet the poem is born.
Some black emancipated baby
will scratch his head
wondering why you felt compelled
to say whatever you said.
A black poet must bear in mind
the misery.
The color-seekers fear poems
they can’t buy for a ten-dollar
bill or with a clever contract.
Some black kid is bound to read you.
A black poet must remember the horrors.
The good jobs can’t last forever.
It shall come to pass that the fury
of a token revolution will fade
into the bank accounts of countless blacks
and freedom-loving whites.
The brilliant novels shall pass
into the archives of a ‘keep cool
We’ve done enough for you’ generation:
the movement organizations already
await their monthly checks from Downtown
and
Only the forgotten walls of a few black
poets and artists
shall survive the then of then,
the now of now.
A black kid searching for pieces of His past and literary greatness of His people that isn't taught in public school found Conrad Kent Rivers, while those with monthly checks from Downtown say "It's not my problem". And again... here I sit... scratching my head... But I'll never forget the horrors and don't give a damn who feels bad about it! And thanks to people like Mrs. Wells-Barnett who felt it wasn't somebody else's problem, we have those facts. The question I'm left with is... if we teach our children that the world's problems are somebody else's problem... then exactly who is going to solve those problems when everybody thinks it's somebody else's problem?
Ida B. Wells-Barnett is a shero of mine. There was more courage in that one lady than in most men living today. I don't want to be like Mike (or Condelezza for that matter)... I want to be like Ida!
March 4, 2022
During Black History Month, I like to read memoirs written by Black leaders at different time periods in US history, like Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, John Lewis, and James Baldwin. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an excellent choice for this year because my list has been lacking in women and because I'm less familiar with the Reconstruction and early jim crow era. I was impressed with how many different strategies Wells-Barnett used in her quest to end lynchings and improve life for struggling Black people in Chicago. She sued, published newspapers, gave speeches, organized non-profits, registered voters, and appealed to everyone from her neighbors to women's clubs in Scotland to Frederick Douglass to the governor of Illinois.
I recommend the first 100 pages of this book to everyone! The later sections had many inspiring stories as well but sometimes got bogged down in detailed committee politics. Unfortunately she didn't finish the book before her death, so it ends mid-word.
I recommend the first 100 pages of this book to everyone! The later sections had many inspiring stories as well but sometimes got bogged down in detailed committee politics. Unfortunately she didn't finish the book before her death, so it ends mid-word.
November 16, 2019
It took me time to read, but Ida B. Wells-Barnett's biography is remarkable. I was particularly moved by her discussion of organized change, white womanhood, and more notably, how she moved through spaces as a Black woman condemning subjugation of her folks.
September 12, 2020
Autobiographies/biographies aren't typically my jam, but reading about everything Ida B. Wells did with her life in her own words was fascinating (and made me feel super-lazy). You can tell that she was a force to be reckoned with who did not suffer fools while she was doing the work.
May 31, 2020
One of the great autobiographies!
February 19, 2021
I learned about Ida B Wells while reading the Jim Crow history where I came across her relentless efforts to take on lynching in the South. When I got her autobiography, found a surprising deal on ebay, I never thought it would be such a wild ride and I cannot understand why she is so neglected in the US history! She was removed from a white car way before Rosa Parks. She fought for universal suffrage just like Susan B. Anthony and she campaigned against violence much more widespread than almost any other civil rights activist but she is just so neglected, so uncared for. Reading this autobiography was a brilliant experience. I cannot imagine what it means to be so strong-willed, so consistent. If you are interested into civil rights issues, reading this book is an absolute must!
December 5, 2017
I really didn't know much about Ida B Wells-Barnett before picking this up. She decides to write her auto-biography after realizing other black stories were not being documented. The book was edited by her daughter and only published years after Ida's death.
Really an amazing woman - she was definitely a crusader against lynching, and traveled internationally even to spread the message. There were numerous defeats yet she managed to have individual successes, too.
Its an autobiography - Ida mentions some of the conflicts she had with others in leadership positions. She certainly comes across as someone who was willing to challenge authority more than others. She was likely considered 'radical'. But who would not be when your race is being lynched?
She interacted with Frederick Douglass, Jane Addams, Susan B Anthony....so many other historical figures of the time.
Sometimes it was hard for me to follow all the people and events and clubs (she started so many organizations!). At first I thought it could have been edited a little more, but I'd be concerned it would remove the sense of Ida's voice that carries through.
Instead of satisfying my curiosity, its been stoked. I now want to read the most recent biography, Sword Among Lions, to see how a historical biographer would revisit Ida B Wells legacy.
Really an amazing woman - she was definitely a crusader against lynching, and traveled internationally even to spread the message. There were numerous defeats yet she managed to have individual successes, too.
Its an autobiography - Ida mentions some of the conflicts she had with others in leadership positions. She certainly comes across as someone who was willing to challenge authority more than others. She was likely considered 'radical'. But who would not be when your race is being lynched?
She interacted with Frederick Douglass, Jane Addams, Susan B Anthony....so many other historical figures of the time.
Sometimes it was hard for me to follow all the people and events and clubs (she started so many organizations!). At first I thought it could have been edited a little more, but I'd be concerned it would remove the sense of Ida's voice that carries through.
Instead of satisfying my curiosity, its been stoked. I now want to read the most recent biography, Sword Among Lions, to see how a historical biographer would revisit Ida B Wells legacy.
May 29, 2016
Ida B. Wells not only had a magical style with her words, but also with how she could see through the thin gossamer veil of prejudice and hypocritical politics during the Reconstruction. This book chronicles Mrs. Wells' own life as she wades knee-deep throughout the deception and racial tensions; tensions still felt throughout the world today. Compiled from lectures, diary entries, letters, short stories, and other written articles from her underground newspaper, "Crusade for Justice" is a must for any human being - period. Feminists, racial, equality, - basically anyone looking into details for civil rights should never pass this book. It's one of the best books written about the trials and tribulations of humanity, and goes to show simply how little we've gone toward achieving true equality.
November 1, 2018
The life of a woman born into slavery who shone the light of truth on injustices no matter what lynch-happy mob was trying to run her out of town. Inspiring and well-told, by Ida B. Wells herself. She was truly the... Beyonce-Oprah-Nikole Hannah Jones-Ava of her time, and she did not suffer any fools. My jaw is still dropped thinking of her friendship and work with and recollections of Frederick Douglass. Why is there no HBO movie/series yet of this autobiography? Imagine, her and Frederick running around the Chicago World Fair, demanding attention to the plight of black people despite a lack of recognition from fair organizers. Imagine, Ida as a new mother, traveling the lecture circuit trying to stoke moral outrage against lynching. Someone out there, make this happen.
May 3, 2020
My suggestion for reading this book: treat it like an academic/historical text rather than a narrative biography. That being said, the aspect of Ida B. Wells’ activism that I found most notable was her use of truly grassroots organizing. She organized and spoke with countless committees and organizations formed through the action and organizing of ordinary people to pass resolutions, agitate elected officials, and take action in support of a cause, independent of (and often orthogonal to) the work of established organizations. I found both the volume and the efficacy of this strategy of organizing particularly impressive and encouraging.
August 30, 2007
This book is a testament to one-woman's determination to bring light to the horrendous policy of lynching African-American's in the United States. She tirelessly travelled the world denouncing inhumane treatment of African-American's, dedicating and endangering her own life to shame the United States and their unjust policies concerning African-Americans before after and during the Red Summer of 1919. This book makes you want to qualify the people that we cast as heroes.
October 12, 2016
Ida B. Wells is seriously the most incredible person I've ever learned about -- brave, witty, and tirelessly devoted to justice. It's frustrating how many of her experiences and insights still ring true today.
March 3, 2017
Ida B. Wells story leaves me wondering why there hasn't ever been a movie about her life. Very interesting.
July 11, 2022
Ida B. Wells was a force to be reckoned with! I loved her story and her words. She seemed fearless!
From the book:
Booker T. Washington‘s views on industrial education had become an obsession with the white people of this country. We thought it was up to us to show them the sophistry of the reasoning that any one system of education could fit the needs of an entire race—that to sneer at or discourage higher education would mean to rob the race of leaders which it so badly needed, and that all the industrial education in the world could not take the place of manhood.
While Ida was waiting to speak in Chicago, a man spoke about how the black man was the white man’s burden—how 10% of the crime in Chicago was committed by Black people even though only 3% of the population was black. This was a true statistic, and Ida wasn’t there to refute another’s speech. She was there to talk about lynching. But she did talk about how all the influences for good in the city, including the YMCA, were closed to black people. And the only place in the city that would admit the black man was the saloon. She said that if there was a problem, the white man was creating it.
After the black Housten soldiers were hanged, and Ida was threatened with treason by supporting those men, she said, “I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing, than to save my skin by taking back what I had said. I would consider it an honor to spend whatever years are necessary in prison as the one member of the race who had protested rather than to be with all the 11,999,999 Negros who didn’t have to go to prison because they kept their mouth shut. “Lay on MacDuffe! And damned to be him that first cries, hold enough!”
[Woman] it is upon whom rests the joint share of the work of creation. And I wonder if women who shirk their duties in that respect truly realize that they have not only deprived humanity of their contribution to perpetuity, but they have robbed themselves of one of the most glorious advantages in the development of their own womanhood. I cannot begin to express how I reveled in having made this wonderful discovery for myself, or how glad I was that I had not been swayed by advice…to keep me from having a baby.
From the book:
Booker T. Washington‘s views on industrial education had become an obsession with the white people of this country. We thought it was up to us to show them the sophistry of the reasoning that any one system of education could fit the needs of an entire race—that to sneer at or discourage higher education would mean to rob the race of leaders which it so badly needed, and that all the industrial education in the world could not take the place of manhood.
While Ida was waiting to speak in Chicago, a man spoke about how the black man was the white man’s burden—how 10% of the crime in Chicago was committed by Black people even though only 3% of the population was black. This was a true statistic, and Ida wasn’t there to refute another’s speech. She was there to talk about lynching. But she did talk about how all the influences for good in the city, including the YMCA, were closed to black people. And the only place in the city that would admit the black man was the saloon. She said that if there was a problem, the white man was creating it.
After the black Housten soldiers were hanged, and Ida was threatened with treason by supporting those men, she said, “I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing, than to save my skin by taking back what I had said. I would consider it an honor to spend whatever years are necessary in prison as the one member of the race who had protested rather than to be with all the 11,999,999 Negros who didn’t have to go to prison because they kept their mouth shut. “Lay on MacDuffe! And damned to be him that first cries, hold enough!”
[Woman] it is upon whom rests the joint share of the work of creation. And I wonder if women who shirk their duties in that respect truly realize that they have not only deprived humanity of their contribution to perpetuity, but they have robbed themselves of one of the most glorious advantages in the development of their own womanhood. I cannot begin to express how I reveled in having made this wonderful discovery for myself, or how glad I was that I had not been swayed by advice…to keep me from having a baby.
March 30, 2022
What an absolutely incredible woman. She was awe inspiring and inspirational. It's ridiculous to me that she isn't on money or the like. Since that's not the case there needs to be a movie about her and the outstanding work she started.
What is truly shocking to me is that just yesterday, 29 March 2022, the US President Joe Biden signed legislation that designates lynching as a federal hate crime. Something Ida B. Wells-Barnett started advocating for over 100 years ago. Excuse the language but, what the actual fuck?
I read that three Republicans voted no to passing this legislation, they argued that it was already a hate crime to lynch people in the US. I find that interesting as it could be argued, that a group of people barging into a home with a no knock warrant and murdering a woman in her bed, or a group of police officers murdering a man on the street in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses, or a young man who was out for a run was chased and gunned down by white men, all look a bit like modern day lynching to this outsider, so I think this might need to be a federal law!
I made the massive mistake of reading comments by people on Vice President Kamala Harris tweet about the signing of the legislation. Over 100 years after Ida B. Wells-Barnett received criticism from all sides for trying to make this happen, here I was reading equal to and worse criticism of a woman of colour finally able to help see this over the line. Just horrifying really!
One of the things I particularly liked about this book was how it was written, Wells-Barnett does not sugarcoat and while it seems she had many, many, many reasons to take offence to a lot, she often used facts and published articles of record to refute gossip or lies. Because the book is so article heavy it took me a little bit longer to read but I loved her articles about her British tour, I felt a bit like I was there with her.
Wells-Barnett was a true powerhouse. An amazing book that needs to be read!
What is truly shocking to me is that just yesterday, 29 March 2022, the US President Joe Biden signed legislation that designates lynching as a federal hate crime. Something Ida B. Wells-Barnett started advocating for over 100 years ago. Excuse the language but, what the actual fuck?
I read that three Republicans voted no to passing this legislation, they argued that it was already a hate crime to lynch people in the US. I find that interesting as it could be argued, that a group of people barging into a home with a no knock warrant and murdering a woman in her bed, or a group of police officers murdering a man on the street in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses, or a young man who was out for a run was chased and gunned down by white men, all look a bit like modern day lynching to this outsider, so I think this might need to be a federal law!
I made the massive mistake of reading comments by people on Vice President Kamala Harris tweet about the signing of the legislation. Over 100 years after Ida B. Wells-Barnett received criticism from all sides for trying to make this happen, here I was reading equal to and worse criticism of a woman of colour finally able to help see this over the line. Just horrifying really!
One of the things I particularly liked about this book was how it was written, Wells-Barnett does not sugarcoat and while it seems she had many, many, many reasons to take offence to a lot, she often used facts and published articles of record to refute gossip or lies. Because the book is so article heavy it took me a little bit longer to read but I loved her articles about her British tour, I felt a bit like I was there with her.
Wells-Barnett was a true powerhouse. An amazing book that needs to be read!
January 28, 2023
What a stalwart for justice. Ida B. Wells did not back down. She stood up to white folks and Black men alike, during her time, as they tried to threaten, discredit, and discourage her from her all-important work of fighting for justice, racial-equality, and anti-lynching.
She was the child of slaves, and started out her career as a teacher, but was denied employment where she was teaching after writing a scathing critique about the conditions of the Negro schools compared to the white schools. The shocker is that it was the Black teachers and parents, whose students and children whom she wrote in their defense, who were responsible for her joblessness. She also faced uphill battles with Black clergymen and their critiques of her. This joblessness would later lead her into a career of using her pen, as a writer, and her voice, as a crusader for justice.
She traveled, the country, and the world reporting on the lynchings of Black people to whomever would listen, and even to those who would not. This book givers ida B. Wells' firsthand accounts of her upbringing, her time as a teacher, and as a writer advocating for justice and equality. The writing is very straightforward, and it is very dense in terms of information and details about her life and work. Wells wrote this prompted by a young women wanting to know about her work. After being asked, Wells begin to see the importance of documenting this information for others. It reads this way, a straightforward telling of events, no fluff. It is very long, I recommend the audiobook. This is a good listen for those interesting in African-American history, the history of lynching, racial justice and politics. If you are a connoisseur of Black history, you must know about Ida and her work. The very last chapter is unfinished. It stops mid-sentence. In a way it seems symbolic, in the fact that her work was never finished, always an ongoing struggle. It also telling that she did everything that she could in her life to advance the crusade for justice, all the way until the end.
She was the child of slaves, and started out her career as a teacher, but was denied employment where she was teaching after writing a scathing critique about the conditions of the Negro schools compared to the white schools. The shocker is that it was the Black teachers and parents, whose students and children whom she wrote in their defense, who were responsible for her joblessness. She also faced uphill battles with Black clergymen and their critiques of her. This joblessness would later lead her into a career of using her pen, as a writer, and her voice, as a crusader for justice.
She traveled, the country, and the world reporting on the lynchings of Black people to whomever would listen, and even to those who would not. This book givers ida B. Wells' firsthand accounts of her upbringing, her time as a teacher, and as a writer advocating for justice and equality. The writing is very straightforward, and it is very dense in terms of information and details about her life and work. Wells wrote this prompted by a young women wanting to know about her work. After being asked, Wells begin to see the importance of documenting this information for others. It reads this way, a straightforward telling of events, no fluff. It is very long, I recommend the audiobook. This is a good listen for those interesting in African-American history, the history of lynching, racial justice and politics. If you are a connoisseur of Black history, you must know about Ida and her work. The very last chapter is unfinished. It stops mid-sentence. In a way it seems symbolic, in the fact that her work was never finished, always an ongoing struggle. It also telling that she did everything that she could in her life to advance the crusade for justice, all the way until the end.
March 27, 2021
I recently read the autobiographical writings of Frederick Douglass, T. Booker Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. I'm glad I supplemented their perspectives with that of Ida B. Wells. As much of an African American icon as the others, Ida B. Wells was a civil rights activist known for her anti-lynching crusade and journalism. She covers the main riots and lynchings of the period, including her successes bringing awareness to the horrible practice in both the U.S. and England. Her bravery and commitment really shines through as she reports on the events happening, often venturing in to what would today be described as conflict-affected areas. She also shares her interactions with (and opinions of) Douglas, Washington, and Du Bois, as well as of other national leaders of the time, including Susan B. Anthony.
Her autobiography is unfortunately incomplete (it ends in 1920, literally half-word and half-sentence), but is an important book for understanding her era. She wrote it specifically in response to someone who asked her what her life's work was, and more broadly in response to the lack of African American accounts of recent history. Given the dominance of white racist and slanted post-Reconstruction accounts, she wanted to tell her side of the story of the Reconstruction Era and the decades afterwards. Despite her successful efforts to shine a light on the horrors of lynchings in the South, she at one point states that she did not feel like she had made a real difference. Though that doesn't accurately reflect her accomplishments, with her passing in 1931, Ida B. Wells never did see the end of the Jim Crow era and the later civil rights successes of the 1950s and 1960s - events that built on the important pioneering work of the earlier civil rights movement co-led by Ida B. Wells.
Her autobiography is unfortunately incomplete (it ends in 1920, literally half-word and half-sentence), but is an important book for understanding her era. She wrote it specifically in response to someone who asked her what her life's work was, and more broadly in response to the lack of African American accounts of recent history. Given the dominance of white racist and slanted post-Reconstruction accounts, she wanted to tell her side of the story of the Reconstruction Era and the decades afterwards. Despite her successful efforts to shine a light on the horrors of lynchings in the South, she at one point states that she did not feel like she had made a real difference. Though that doesn't accurately reflect her accomplishments, with her passing in 1931, Ida B. Wells never did see the end of the Jim Crow era and the later civil rights successes of the 1950s and 1960s - events that built on the important pioneering work of the earlier civil rights movement co-led by Ida B. Wells.
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