Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) – United States of America

Oil and embroidery on linen canvas.

(90x120cm)

Born into slavery during the American Civil War, Ida B. Wells battled racism, sexism and violence to become a prominent journalist, activist and researcher.

Wells’ activism began in 1884 when she filed a lawsuit against a train car company in Memphis for being wrongly thrown off a first-class carriage. Although her case was eventually overturned, she continued to fight for justice through her investigations into white mob violence. Much to the locals’ rage, she published an exposé into the horrors of lynching, leading to her being driven out of the South.

After moving to Chicago, Wells began to create a name for herself as a leading activist when she joined the boycott against the World’s Columbian Exposition. She travelled internationally to shed light on lynching to white audiences and openly addressed Black women’s exclusion from the Women’s Suffrage movement.

Despite her continual ostracisation from many women’s enfranchisement groups, Wells dedicated the rest of her life to advocating for Black women’s rights, cementing her reputation as a pioneer of intersectional feminism.