Ida B. Wells
United States
Born into slavery in Mississippi, Ida B. Wells had a fiercely independent spirit and battled against racism and sexism. She became a school teacher and journalist, and led an anti-lynching campaign that took her to the capitals of urban America and Europe. She was a leader in the early civil rights movement up to her death in 1931.
Well’s story is featured in Chapter 2 of the original edition of Facing History and Ourselves: Choosing to Participate [PDF].
