...and now one of my favorite Americans...Ida B Wells.

 She was, quite simply, glorious.

...and today, she is largely forgotten, by just about everyone.  

She was, most prominently, an anti-lynching activist, and an advocate f6or civil rights--not just for African Americans, but for all women in this country.

She was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi in July, 18 1862.

Unfortunately, her early life was mired in tragedy, as a yellow fever epidemic destroyed both her parents, and one of their six children.  What she did next, is to cement her in my mind as one of the best women I've ever learned about.  She made it a point to keep the whole family together...and mostly succeeded.  She began a fairly brief teaching career, as a way to support her siblings, educating in schools around her home.  At length, Ida moved to Memphis, with two younger siblings (leaving the rest of the children at the home of a grandparent) to stay with an aunt, and went to take a teaching post in a small hamlet, Woodstock.  There she would be able to commute, while remaining near her siblings.  

It was in September, 1883, that a sea change took place in her life.  One day, when travelling to work on the local train, she was asked by the conductor, to take a seat in the so-called 'smoking car.'  Now, I wouldn't have objected--I occasionally do vape, but she refused.  It was in this latter car that all African Americans were expected to sit.  Ida simply said "no."  The conductor then proceeded to remove her by force.  She bit him.  Wow, what a woman!

In her autobiography, Ida described the incident this way:

When the train started, the conductor came along to collect tickets, he took my ticket, then handed it back to me and told me that he couldn't take my ticket there.  I thought that if he didn't want the ticket I wouldn't bother about it so I went on reading.  In a little while when he finished taking tickets, he came back and told me I would have to go in the other car.  I refused, saying that the forward was a smoker, and I was in the ladies' car and I proposed to stay.

It gets better.  After she was forcibly evicted from the train (to the applause of the bastard bastards whitie passengers) by two men, I think a civil rights activist became essentially radicalized.  She would then write a scathing article about the incident for an African American newspaper, "The Living Way."

Then, she hired an African American lawyer to file suit against the railroad.  And, according to the rules of the day, the RR company payola'd her attorney.  Aghast but not daunted, Ida then hired a white lawyer, brave dude named Judge Greer.  Now is the great part--she won the case!  In December, 1884, the court granted her a settlement of $500.  

A white newspaper was not exactly happy with this outcome, and one headline said:

A darkie damsel obtains a verdict for damages against the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.

Holy shit. 'darkie damsel'?

And yet, this was the colloquial language of WASPS in the day.

But, the railroad was not content to leave matters alone, and pay out the money.  Those assholes wouldn't countenance a loss to a woman of color.  They appealed the decision to the supreme court of Tennessee, which predictable overruled the lower court's decision.  Here is a famous excerpt from the majority decision:

We think it is evident that the purpose of the defendant...was to harass...and that her persistence was not in good faith to obtain a comfortable seat for the short ride. 

Also, the court's description of her removal from the train was hardly accurate:

The conductor told her he would have to put her off.  The train was stopped at about 400 yards, when she was politely assisted from the car by a colored porter.

Uh huh.  Actually she was kind of dragged, rather aggressively by TWO porters, and sort of flung from the train.

The court further found 

that the [RR] company had done all that could rightfully be demanded....We know of no rule that requires the railroad companies to yield to the disposition of passengers to arbitrarily determine as to the coach in which they shall take passage....  The conduct of the plaintiff below was upon an idea without the slightest reason.

Holy balls Batman!

Remember that this incident took place before the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson, which dictated the evil 'separate but equal' bullshit.

Later, Wells would lament, in her autobiography:

O God is there no redress, no peace, no justice in this land for us? Thou hast always fought the battles of the weak and oppressed.  Come to my aid at this moment and teach me what to do for I am sorely, bitterly disappointed.  Show us the way....  

Then, she went into action, beginning a new career as an activist against the Jim-Crow laws.  She wrote for an African American newspaper (really more of a circular), and when it was printed, she was fired from her teaching position--what was this editorial about, you may ask.  It decried the inequity between black and white schools.  

In 1892, Ida began what would become her primary campaign:  anti-lynching.  Can you imagine railing against this practice in the post Civil War South?  Holy crap.  She was chiefly inspired by an incident regarding three black grocery store owners in Memphis.  In a scathing editorial, she said that the public lynching was actually an action meant to remove competition.

The white population was immediate.  The offices of her newspaper was attacked and burned to the ground, while she was away from the city.  She was subsequently told not to return to Memphis.  Eventually Ida moved to Chicago, where she ended up marrying a well known African American lawyer, Ferdinand Barnett.  She continued to travel all over the country, and even went to Great Britain.

She also aided in the creation of the NAACP!

In subsequent years, Ida worked for the passage of federal lynching laws.  She also worked for a woman's right to vote.

There is a story, that when Susan B. Anthony went to Chicago to help organize a rally for the cause, she visited Ida in her home with other activists.  During this conference, Ida got up repeatedly, to care for her children.  Finally ole Sue had enough--she expostulated that Ida had "divided duty." (a reference to Shakespeare's Desdemona)  She railed against the fact that she had multiple children, and that she couldn't effectively serve the cause.  Man, what a schmuck.

As if this wasn't enough, Susan would later ask Ida to not speak at a rally for the cause, because she would offend southern women supporting the cause!

Wow.  Uh huh.  Wow.

After this, Ida kind of lost her faith in the movement.  Gee whiz--I wonder why?  

 In later years, she went on to found a number of organizations, for the advancement of African Americans in the US.  However, in one of these associations, the NAACP, she had a difference of opinion with other members, who found her attitude towards racism in America 'too militant.'  Shit.  Really?

In the last few years of her life, she wrote her autobiography, detailing her life as an activist.  She died a beloved wife and mother in 1931.

In a bittersweet event, Wells was honored with a posthumous Pulitzer Prize "for her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching."

Hmmmm.  A little late, no? And, remember that this was a deplorable practice that occurred all the way through the 1960s, and one might argue, into the present day.  Why do Americans always choose the path of violence (either tacit or overt) to solve social and cultural differences?  I know, an un-answerable question, right?

So, let's end this epistle, by just remembering a courageous and incredible woman.  We really must not forget her contribution to our political and social culture.

If you're curious, watch this;

Until next time....