"IDA B. WELLS"

 “IDA B. WELLS!!!”

Another birthday of an important woman this month – first Caroline, now Ida B. Wells.  Wells was born into slavery in 1862 in Holly Springs, the county seat of Marshall County in northwest Mississippi.  That county is the home county of my mother and her forebears, and that is one of the reasons that Ida B’s life has struck such a deep chord in me.  I first encountered Ida B. in 1985 in a book by Dorothy Sterling entitled “Black Foremothers,” and I was astonished that I had never heard of Wells before.  Part of that was my own ignorance, and part of it was a deliberate effort to “disremember” witnesses like her.

In many ways, Wells’ life is the mythical American story of possibility and hard work:  she was born into slavery in Mississippi, but by the time of her death, she was one of the most famous people in America.  In many ways also, her story is the American story of racism and sexism:  because she was a Black woman, her witness was deeply resisted and almost forgotten in history.  Yet, thanks to the efforts of her daughter Alfreda Duster and now her great-grandchildren Michelle and Dan Duster, Ida B. Wells is having her moment in history, as her powerful witness is remembered and celebrated.

Wells fought her way into the American consciousness, and she kept fighting until she passed in 1931.  Although she was a “race” woman, she was just as strongly a crusader for women’s rights, for an end to war, and for justice for all, no matter one’s class status.  Though she was anti-war, she did not espouse non-violence as a way of life.  She told all Black families to keep a Winchester rifle in their homes so that they could protect themselves in case white folks came for them.  Indeed, in one of the many times that her life was threatened, she proclaimed that they might get her, but she would take as many of the attackers as she could with her into death.

On our recent trip to Chicago, we spent a great day with Michelle Duster, who gave us a fabulous tour of Ida B. sites in Chicago, including the powerful monument to her on Langley Avenue, designed and sculpted by the renowned architect Richard Hunt.  Michelle was so generous with her time and with her knowledge, and we were delighted to see Ida B. murals all over the South side of Chicago!

          In 2019, Dr. Catherine Meeks and I co-authored a book about Ida Wells and her influence on our time.  It was entitled “Passionate for Justice:  Ida B. Wells as Prophet For Our Time.”  It won several awards, and I am thinking about it this week as Ida Wells’ 164th birthday approaches on July 16.  It would be fascinating to hear Wells’ perspective on our time, and Catherine and I tried to speculate on some of that in our book.  If you haven’t read it, find it in your library or buy it somewhere (churchpublishing.org or bookshop.org are my suggestions).  Wells lived through a time similar to ours – when rights for Black people were being scaled back, and white supremacy was on the rise.

 Michelle Duster also has a fine book about her and about her witness for both racial and gender justice: “Ida B the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells.”  There is also a much longer biography of her by Paula Giddings entitled “Ida: A Sword Among Lions.”  Or, in the modern age, just “google” her, and you will find all kinds of information.  There are also numerous children’s books about her.

If you have not encountered Ida B. Wells and her story yet, please take time to do it.  It will both inspire you (how could she do so much in such a short time?) and infuriate you (her struggles over justice and equity continue today).  But, most of all, let us all take heart from the life and witness of such a great prophet.  When people like Alice Paul sought to deny her entry in the women’s rights protest in Washington, DC, in 1913, Wells defiantly stepped into the parade anyway, and on her birthday this Thursday, raise a glass (or a piece of cake) to this great witness.  And, no matter who is telling you not to step into the great parade of witnesses like Ida B., take a page from her example and get into the march for justice and equity.  Find your place and find your voice.