General Poetry posted December 8, 2023

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An entry in the Historical Figure Poetry Contest

Ida B. Wells

by Navada

she saw the scars of beatings etched upon her mother’s back

she learned that hate will happen to a woman who is black

the truth was no more kind to men who shared her skin’s dark hue

as Ida grew, she witnessed more and felt what hate can do

at age sixteen, her family endured a mortal blow

her parents died and six remained with nowhere else to go,

so Ida took upon herself the job of giving care

she taught and studied hard as well – this was her cross to bear

a journalist she then became – in Memphis, made her mark

she wrote impassioned articles ‘bout lynchings in the dark

to ward away the threats and danger, she eschewed her name

adopted her “Iola” and wrote on with heightened fame

a new pursuit commenced for her when, riding on a train,

she was removed with force and sought some justice for her pain

a legal case that fell her way brought moment’ry relief

but then the outcome was reversed – it beggared her belief

she taught in segregated schools with limited supplies

when protesting restrictions, being fir’d was no surprise

returning to her writing gave her strength to fight the foe

when three friends died of gunshot wounds, she knew where she must go

she travelled broadly through the South researching lynching’s truth

while out investigating, she had proven quite the sleuth

her pamphlet Southern Horrors did expose some grievous crimes

her newspaper’s destruction made it clear – ‘twas racist times

upon her flight to freedom in the North, she next resolved

to cross the great Atlantic, where her life’s work then evolved

she travelled throughout Britain and awareness she did raise

‘bout lynching and its terrors and the bodies left ablaze

another pamphlet called The Red Record informed the North

about the Southern murders and the Klansmen pouring forth

meanwhile, with Ferdinand Barnett, our Ida chose to marry

while working hard and protesting, four children she did carry

in Washington, for women an association started

Chicago was the base where Ida healed the broken-hearted

when former slaves migrated from the South to start anew,

she held their hands and taught them things and showed them what to do

in summary, her bravery and courage stifled sin

she helped new women’s groups fermenting suffrage to begin

her treatises on lynching made the world a better place

let’s hope that more of us in years to come will know her face

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Historical Figure Poetry contest entry

Recognized

#29
December
2023

Summary of Ida B. Wells' biography and achievements:

- Born enslaved in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1862
- Lost both parents and one sibling to yellow fever and became the primary caregiver for five surviving brothers and sisters - she did this while working as a teacher and studying at Rust College
- Began her career as a journalist in Memphis in 1882
- Co-owned a local newspaper where she wrote passionate editorials and conducted investigative work about lynching - for her own safety, she had to publish many articles in black periodicals under the pseudonym "Iola"
- Sued the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company for discrimination when she was forcibly removed from a train after refusing to move from first class to a black-only carriage despite holding a first-class ticket - she won a $500 settlement in a circuit court, but it was overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1887
- Taught at a segregated public school in Tennessee but was fired after publicly criticising the lack of resources available for black-only schools
- Lost three of her friends in 1892 in a triple lynching after their successful black-owned grocery store was attacked by a group of white men including a sheriff's deputy
- Published a pamphlet entitled Southern Horrors which detailed the findings of her investigative work about lynching
- A white mob destroyed her newspaper office and presses - she was forced to flee to the North and never lived in the South again
- Travelled across the Atlantic to raise awareness of lynching in Britain - helped establish the British Anti-Lynching Society in 1894
- Published The Red Record in 1895 to a Northern audience unfamiliar with the extent of lynching and challenged the "rape myth" concerning African-American men
- Married attorney and newspaper editor Ferdinand L. Barnett in 1895 and had four children
- Founding member of NACW - National Association of Colored Women - in 1896 in Washington
- Attended the White House in 1898 to lead a protest against lynching and protested against discriminatory government hiring practices
- Founded and became the first president of the Negro Fellowship League in 1910, aiding newly arrived migrants from the South
- Founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913 - thought to have been the first black women's suffrage group
- Died in 1931 in Chicago, Illinois
- Posthumously honoured in 2020 with a Pulitzer Prize special citation "for her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching"

Sources consulted while conducting my research:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocbAfpjibr4
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells
- https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ida-b-wells-barnett
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ida-B-Wells-Barnett
- https://wams.nyhistory.org/modernizing-america/fighting-for-social-reform/ida-b-wells/

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An entry in the Historical Figure Poetry Contest

Ida B. Wells

by Navada

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