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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsTo Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wellsby Mia Bay
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Born to slaves in 1862, Ida B. Wells became a fearless antilynching crusader, womens rights advocate, and journalist. Wellss refusal to accept any compromise on racial inequality caused her to be labeled a “dangerous radical” in her day but made her a model for later civil rights activists as well as a powerful witness to the troubled racial politics of her era. In the richly illustrated To Tell the Truth Freely, the historian Mia Bay vividly captures Wellss legacy and life, from her childhood in Mississippi to her early career in late nineteenth-century Memphis and her later life in Progressive-era Chicago. Wellss fight for racial and gender justice began in 1883, when she was a young schoolteacher who traveled to her rural schoolhouse by rail. Forcibly ejected from her seat on a train one day on account of her race, Wells immediately sued the railroad. Though she ultimately lost her case on appeal in the Supreme Court of Tennessee, the published account of her legal challenge to Jim Crow changed her life, propelling her into a career as an outspoken journalist and social activist. Also a fierce critic of the racial violence that marked her era, Wells went on to launch a crusade against lynching that took her across the United States and eventually to Britain. Though she helped found the NAACP in 1910 after resettling in Chicago, she would not remain a member for long. Always militant in her quest for racial justice, Wells rejected not only Booker T. Washingtons accommodationism but also the moderating influence of white reformers within the early NAACP. The life of Ida B. Wells and her enduring achievements are dramatically recovered in Mia Bays To Tell the Truth Freely. Mia Bay is an associate professor of history at Rutgers University and the associate director of Rutgerss Center for Race and Ethnicity. She is also the author of The White Image in the Black Mind: African-American Ideas About White People, 1830–1925. Born to slaves in 1862, Ida B. Wells became a fearless anti-lynching crusader, womens rights advocate, and journalist. Wellss refusal to accept any compromise on racial inequality caused her to be labeled a “dangerous radical” in her day but made her a model for later civil rights activists as well as a powerful witness to the troubled racial politics of her era. In the richly illustrated To Tell the Truth Freely, the historian Mia Bay vividly captures Wellss legacy and life, from her childhood in Mississippi to her early career in late nineteenth-century Memphis and her later life in Progressive-era Chicago. Wellss fight for racial and gender justice began in 1883, when she was a young schoolteacher who traveled to her rural schoolhouse by rail. Forcibly ejected from her seat on a train one day on account of her race, Wells immediately sued the railroad. Though she ultimately lost her case on appeal in the Supreme Court of Tennessee, the published account of her legal challenge to Jim Crow changed her life, propelling her into a career as an outspoken journalist and social activist. Also a fierce critic of the racial violence that marked her era, Wells went on to launch a crusade against lynching that took her across the United States and eventually to Britain. Though she helped found the NAACP in 1910 after resettling in Chicago, she would not remain a member for long. Always militant in her quest for racial justice, Wells rejected not only Booker T. Washingtons accommodationism but also the moderating influence of white reformers within the early NAACP. The life of Ida B. Wells and her enduring achievements are dramatically recovered in Mia Bays To Tell the Truth Freely. “In this remarkable book, Mia Bay understands Ida B. Wells in fullas thinker, writer, crusader, politician, and woman of the world. Finally, we have a biography worthy of one of the bravest and most influential activists in U.S. history.”Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan “In this remarkable book, Mia Bay understands Ida B. Wells in fullas thinker, writer, crusader, politician, and woman of the world. Finally, we have a biography worthy of one of the bravest and most influential activists in U.S. history.”Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan “Ida B. Wells is one of Americas most important yet relatively unknown historical figures. Absorbing and insightful, To Tell the Truth Freely deftly chronicles the way in which her extraordinary life and career altered the evolution of race and democracy in late nineteenth- and early twentieth century America.”Peniel E. Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America “Mia Bays biography of Ida B. Wells is as sharp and sassy as the woman herself. The vigilance and bravado of this dynamic black woman crusader shines through on every page. Bays triumphant tapestry reveals the life and times of an unsung heroine woven into battles for African-American freedom.”Catherine Clinton, author of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom “At lastan eloquent, concise, yet richly detailed account of Ida B. Wells. Beautifully crafted, this book restores Wells to her rightful place in American political history by telling her story with verve and grace.”Barbara D. Savage, author of Your Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion "Mia Bay's biography of Ida B. Wells provides the reader with the rich details that are essential to viewing her as a person. This information about Wells, considered by many to have been the most influential black woman of her time, does more than help the reader revisit the life of a legend. Bay carefully lays a foundation for understanding Wells, who was born in Mississippi during the Civil War. Early in the book, the author, a Rutgers University historian, uses Wells' family stories to shed light on the lives of her parents and grandparents and introduce the reader to major influences on her development . . . Bay's use of Wells' diaries appear to be judicious, never being revealing for its own sake. Wells' private thoughts are used to help the reader understand the public choices she made. They also help demonstrate the differences between her values and those held by most other women of her time. In addition, Bay does a good job of relating the well-known story of Wells being forcibly removed from a train, the relationships she formed with those in England and the United States who helped to advance her anti-lynching campaign, and what she did and didn't have in common with others who were involved in advancing the causes of blacks and women. While the reader may recall many of the relevant facts about her life, additional bits of information in the book provide a freshness that keeps it interesting. Evidence of Wells' enormous courage and high tolerance for risk can be seen throughout the book. Bay presents Wells as someone who always knew her own mind and who accepted the risks that came with being true to herself. She may have acquired that trait from her father, Jim Wells, a man who also stood up for what he believed in. Through Bay's writing, it's not difficult to see why Wells, a diminutive woman, is considered a giant."Wevonneda Mins, The Post and Cour Review:"Bay (The White Image in the Black Mind) delineates journalist and antilynching crusader Ida B. Wells's life (1862 — 1931) and her passionate commitment 'to a range of causes so extensive that they defy easy summary.' When her parents died in 1878, 16-year-old Wells became the head of her family, caring for her five siblings. After a brief stint teaching, she found her two callings — political activism and, more powerfully, journalism, becoming by the late 1880s 'one of the most prolific and well-known black female journalists of her day.' In 1884, she sued the Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern Railroad over segregated cars; in 1889, she became part owner and editor of the Memphis Free Speech newspaper. In 1892, catalyzed by the lynching of three black businessmen, she devoted herself to 'an anti-lynching campaign that would cost her the Memphis newspaper, threaten her life, and sever her ties to Memphis forever.' Bay relies heavily on Wells's published writing, especially her posthumous autobiography, Crusade for Justice, supplemented by secondary sources, making this a useful book for students. The perilous edge that Wells traversed, however, is blunted; she led a life full of drama, but Bay's quotidian account is an utterly unexciting summary." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Synopsis:Born to slaves in 1862, Ida B. Wells became a fearless antilynching crusader, womens rights advocate, and journalist. Wellss refusal to accept any compromise on racial inequality caused her to be labeled a “dangerous radical” in her day but made her a model for later civil rights activists as well as a powerful witness to the troubled racial politics of her era. In the richly illustrated To Tell the Truth Freely, the historian Mia Bay vividly captures Wellss legacy and life, from her childhood in Mississippi to her early career in late nineteenth-century Memphis and her later life in Progressive-era Chicago. Wellss fight for racial and gender justice began in 1883, when she was a young schoolteacher who traveled to her rural schoolhouse by rail. Forcibly ejected from her seat on a train one day on account of her race, Wells immediately sued the railroad. Though she ultimately lost her case on appeal in the Supreme Court of Tennessee, the published account of her legal challenge to Jim Crow changed her life, propelling her into a career as an outspoken journalist and social activist. Also a fierce critic of the racial violence that marked her era, Wells went on to launch a crusade against lynching that took her across the United States and eventually to Britain. Though she helped found the NAACP in 1910 after resettling in Chicago, she would not remain a member for long. Always militant in her quest for racial justice, Wells rejected not only Booker T. Washingtons accommodationism but also the moderating influence of white reformers within the early NAACP. The life of Ida B. Wells and her enduring achievements are dramatically recovered in Mia Bays To Tell the Truth Freely. Synopsis:Born to slaves in 1862, Ida B. Wells became a fearless antilynching crusader, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and public speaker. Before she died in Chicago in 1931, Wells helped define the role of civil rights activist for every generation that followed. Associate director of Rutgers University’s Center for Race and Ethnicity, Mia Bay vividly captures Wells’s childhood and early life in late-nineteenth-century Memphis. It was here that she first began to fight for racial and gender justice. Refusing in 1884 to give up her seat on a train, she was forcibly ejected. Wells immediately sued the railroad, and won her case in the local circuit courts only to lose on appeal in the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Thereafter advocacy entered into her journalism career, which was forever altered in 1892 when three friends were lynched for owning a general store that competed with one owned by whites. Her life threatened, she continued her journalistic attacks on Southern racism from Chicago, especially investigating the lynching of black men. One of only two African American women to sign “the call” to form the NAACP in 1909, Wells also opposed Booker T. Washington’s accommodationist strategy, and went on to become one of the most radical leaders of her day. Criticized at the time for her refusal to accept any compromise on racial inequality, Wells set the standard that all subsequent civil rights advocates have followed About the AuthorMia Bay is an associate professor of history at Rutgers University and the associate director of Rutgerss Center for Race and Ethnicity. This is her second book. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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