In celebration of Black History Month, students gathered in the Memorial Student Center auditorium Tuesday, Feb. 13, to watch “Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice.”
The film documented the struggles of a pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader during the post-reconstruction period.
Wells was born in 1862, just months shy of the Emancipation Proclamation. In spite of hardship, Wells was able to complete her studies at Rust College and become a teacher in Tennessee.
In 1884, an event happened that changed her life; Wells was riding a train car and was the only black woman among whites in the car. The conductor asked her to move and when she refused he attempted to physically remove her from her seat. Wells bit the conductor on the hand and sued the railroad company. She was awarded $500 in settlement until the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 1887. This event led Wells to quit her teaching job and become a leading activist in the fight for racial justice.
Wells used her writing talent as a weapon of choice. She wrote for newspapers such as The Free Speech and Headlight, The Evening Star, published anti-lynching articles, and even helped found the NAACP. Ida B. Wells continued her crusade for equal rights until her death in 1931.
Junior Arika Phillips said, ” The film was very interesting, I learned that there are many more great African American pioneers than just the ones that we hear the most about. “
The documentary is part of a series that will continue throughout Black History Month.
Junior Sanae Hines said, “I learned so much from this documentary, I did not know who Ida B. Wells was, but now I know who she was and so much more about black history.