Synopses & Reviews
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was one of the foremost crusaders against black oppression. This engaging memoir tells of her private life as mother of a growing family as well as her public activities as teacher, lecturer, and journalist in her fight against attitudes and laws oppressing blacks.
"No student of black history should overlook Crusade for Justice."and#8212;William M. Tuttle, Jr., Journal of American History
"Besides being the story of an incredibly courageous and outspoken black woman in the face of innumerable odds, the book is a valuable contribution to the social history of the United States and to the literature of the women's movement as well."and#8212;Elizabeth Kolmer, American Quarterly
"[Wells was] a sophisticated fighter whose prose was as though as her intellect."and#8212;Walter Goodman, New York Times
"An illuminating narrative of a zealous, race-conscious, civic- and church-minded black woman reformer, whose life story is a significant chapter in the history of Negro-White relations."and#8212;Thelma D. Perry, Negro History Bulletin
Synopsis
The subject of a December, 1989, PBS documentary (based on this book), Ida B. Wells was one of the foremost crusaders against black oppression. This engaging memoir tells of her private life as well as her public activitiesin the fi ght against attitudes and laws oppressing blacks.
About the Author
Alfreda M. Duster, who died in 1983, was the daughter of Ida B. Wells and Ferdinand L. Barnett, the first black state's attorney in Illinois.
Table of Contents
Editor's Foreword
Introduction
Preface
1. Born into Slavery
2. Hard Beginnings
3. New Opportunities
4. Iola
5. The "Free Speech" Days
6. Lynching at the Curve
7. Leaving Memphis Behind
8. At the Hands of a Mob
9. To Tell the Truth Freely
10. The Homesick Exile
11. Light from the Human Torch
12. Through England and Scotland
13. Breaking the Silent Indifference
14. An Indiscreet Letter
15. Final Days in London
16. "To the Seeker of Truth"
17. "Inter-Ocean" Letters
18. In Liverpool
19. In Manchester
20. In Bristol
21. Newcastle Notes
22. Memories of London
23. "You Can't Change the Record"
24. Last Days in Britain
25. A Regrettable Interview
26. Remembering English Friends
27. Susan B. Anthony
28. Ungentlemanly and Unchristian
29. Satin and Orange Blossoms
30. A Divided Duty
31. Again in the Public Eye
32. New Projects
33. Club Life and Politics
34. A Negro Theater
35. Negro Fellowship League
36. Illinois Lynchings
37. NAACP
38. Steve Green and "Chicken Joe" Campbell
39. Seeking the Negro Vote
40. Protest to the Governor
41. World War I and the Negro Soldiers
42. The Equal Rights League
43. East Saint Louis Riot
44. Arkansas Riot
45. The Tide of Hatred
46. The Price of Liberty
Bibliography
Index