Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862. The daughter of former slaves, Wells moved with several of her siblings to Memphis in 1883 to teach in the Shelby County school system.

Shortly after moving, Wells was traveling on a Memphis & Charleston Railway train when she was ordered to give up her seat to a white man. After refusing, sparking an angry reaction from the conductor, she was forcibly removed from the train. Wells used the incident to bring attention to the massive societal injustices facing women and people of color at the time. In 1889, she began writing for the Free Speech and Headlight newspaper, an anti-segregationist publication that gave Wells an outlet for her work and advocacy. 

After three of Wells’ friends were lynched in 1892, Wells left Memphis for Chicago. There, she teamed with Jane Adams in blocking the establishment of segregated schools in the city and helped form numerous reform organizations to improve conditions for women and people of color. Wells helped form the NAACP and was one of the first African-American women to run for public office in the country when she ran for the Illinois state legislature in 1930.

Learn more:
Jim Crow Stories – Ida B. Wells
Today’s Google Doodle Celebrates Journalist Ida B. Wells’ Birthday - Time.com