Ida B. Wells-Barnett is an unsung heroine of the early 20th Century. She was a Civil Rights advocate, journalist and suffragist who dedicated her life to documenting and crusading against lynchings across the United States.
During my recent walk across Northern Mississippi I passed through Holly Springs, Mississippi, the town in which she was born and raised. Her legacy is remembered annually as a distinguished alumna by the faculty and staff of Rust College, who host a Social Justice weekend in her honor.
She is featured in the Guardian News today as part of a series documenting the history of lynching in this country to coincide with the opening of America’s first memorial to lynching victims in Montgomery, Alabama.