Powerful African American icons who fought for women’s rights and championed the 19th Amendment

Ida B. Wells, 1862-1931

Ida B. Wells stands as one of the most accomplished figures in African-American history, becoming a champion of women’s and civil rights. Having been described as an unsung hero for so many years for being overtaken by other popular figures of the civil rights movement, the interest in her life and legacy in recent years has grown.

Wells was born to enslaved parents in the town of Holly Springs on July 16, 1862, a year before President Abraham Lincoln would sign into effect the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Wells continued to fight for civil rights for all until she died in 1931.