Ida B. Wells conducted the first systematic investigation of lynching in America, publishing her findings in 1892. Her research proved that lynching was not about crime — it was a tool of racial terror and economic suppression.
The Story of Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Born enslaved in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1862, Ida B. Wells lost her parents to yellow fever at age 16 and raised her siblings while simultaneously pursuing her education. By her early twenties, she was writing for Black newspapers under the pen name 'Iola.'
In 1892, when three of her friends — successful Black businessmen in Memphis — were lynched by a white mob threatened by their economic success, Wells threw herself into investigating. What she found was explosive: lynching was not about Black criminality or white women's safety as the press claimed. It was systematic racial terror designed to eliminate economic competition and maintain white supremacy through fear.
She published her findings in 'Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases' and 'A Red Record' — systematic, data-driven investigations that documented lynching statistics, debunked the stated justifications, and named the real economic and political motives. A white Memphis mob destroyed her newspaper office and threatened her life. She continued anyway, from exile in the North.
Wells took her anti-lynching campaign to Britain, generating international pressure on the United States. She helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She organized, wrote, marched, and fought until her death in 1931. Her great-granddaughter accepted the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation awarded posthumously to Wells in 2020.
Color Ida's Portrait
The Alphabet Book of Generals — Who Resisted White Supremacy and Won features a full-page coloring portrait of Ida with a color guide and fun fact. Perfect for children ages 4–12 and Black history education.
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