Born a slave in Mississippi during the Civil War, Ida B. Wells was the first in her family to be formally educated. After the death of her parents, she became a teacher to support her siblings.

In 1883, prior to Plessy v. Ferguson and the “separate but equal” doctrine, Ida refused to obey a train conductor’s command to move to the colored rail car and ended up dragged from the train by a group of men.

Other social injustices weighed on Ida, so she turned to the power of the pen, using journalism to expose the issues and sway public opinion. Because of her writings, she lost her job as a teacher, which only moved her more firmly into journalism as a career.

As one of the first investigative journalists, Ida faced many hardships as she tried to bring the truth to light. Learn more about this inspiring woman and her crusade for equality and justice.