FAQ About Ida B. Wells

What personal experiences influenced Ida B. Wells' activism?
Ida B. Wells' activism was deeply influenced by her personal experiences of racial discrimination and injustice. She lost her parents to yellow fever when she was a teenager, requiring her to become self-reliant early. In 1884, she was forcibly removed from a train car, which resulted in a lawsuit that she won initially. These experiences of racial injustice fueled her determination to fight for civil rights.