Ida B. Wells

  • Ida B. Wells was born

    Ida was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi
  • Family Tragedy

    Ida lost her 10 month-old brother and her parents to the yellow fever. She was left to support her siblings. In order to support them she drops out of school and becomes a teacher in an all black elementary.
  • Railroad incident

    A train conducted forces Ida to give up her seat.she refuses and later sues the railroad for illegal racial segregation
  • Lynching campaign

    Ida was angered by a lynching in Memphis and soon after started a lynching campaign.
  • Gets a job

    Ida gets a job as a co-owner and editor for the "Free speech and headlight" .It later was destroyed by a mob because of her campaign against lynching and the articles.
  • Famous speech

    Ida writes "southern horrors: lynching law in all its phases". In this she explains the causes behind the lynch mobs and irrational fear of black men.
  • Gaining support

    Ida lectured abroad to drum up support for her cause among reformed whites.
  • Ban on African-Americans

    Upset by this Ida penned and circulated a pamphlet entitled "The reason why the colored American is represented in the worlds Colombian exposition."
  • N.A.A.C.P

    Ida along with W.E.B Boris, Archibald Grimké, Henery Moskowitz, Charles Edward Russel, Florence Kelley, William English Walling, Oswald garrison Villard, and Mary white ovington created the N.A.A.C.P
  • "Crusade of justice"

    Ida began writing her autobiography. In 1970 Ida's daughter, Alfreda Duster, finally has it published.
  • Death

    Ida dies before being able to finish her autobiography in Chicago at the age of 68.