#Readmoreink: Crusade for Justice by Ida B. Wells

Dear Pennies & Pens, 

Ida B. Wells was a journalist, activist and researcher. During her lifetime, she sued a train car company in 1884 for unfair treatment, wrote about racism and lynchings as well as participating in the Women’s Suffrage movement. 

She also founded the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and helped found the National Association of Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1928, she began writing her autobiography “Crusade for Justice” which was edited by her daughter Alfreda M. Duster and published by The University of Chicago Press in 1970. 

I recently finished reading Crusade for Justice and it was absolutely amazing! It was a truly insightful and inspiring book. It was fascinating to read about history from the perspective of a Black woman. Ida accomplished so much in her lifetime and yet, many still don’t really know who she is or what she did. 

I’ll admit I was one of those people and that’s why I decided to read this book. I figured what better way to learn about Ida than from Ida herself? In the book she notes that she wanted to tell her own story because she feared it would otherwise not be told. I agree with this because not many were in a rush to tell the story of the Black female writer who started the Civil Rights Movement. 

It was Ida who protested lynchings traveling as far as England & Scotland to denounce these atrocities. It was Ida who recognized that women, especially Black women deserved the right to vote. It was Ida who helped get 12 men released from an unfair prison sentence. It was Ida who worked with Frederick Douglass, WEB Dubois, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Madam CJ Walker. 

She was a mother of four children and yet, she never let her personal obligations stop her from fighting for civil rights. She would often travel to speeches with her young children as she was still breastfeeding. This is phenomenal because it was unheard of for a woman to work outside the home in those days and the fact that Ida was not only working but protesting is incredible. 

Born enslaved in 1862, Ida lived a life for the history books. Yet, how many books are dedicated to her life? Ida was speaking up and advocating for the rights of Black Americans before it was popular or trendy to do so. She was feared by both whites and blacks as her ideas were seen as radical. However, she continued to dedicate her life to fighting for what’s right. 

Ida B. Wells was truly an inspiration. I am committed to learning more about her and her work. And I encourage you to do the same. Please check out Crusade for Justice. 

And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.