The fearless Black journalist who documented 728 lynchings in 1892 and changed how America saw racial violence

Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Ida B. Wells published “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases” on October 26, 1892. She wrote this key document while living in New York, unable to return to Memphis.

Wells spent months gathering newspaper reports, talking to witnesses, and collecting facts about mob killings across the South. Her 25-page work exposed the truth about violence against Black Americans.

The women of New York and Brooklyn funded the pamphlet through an event at Lyric Hall on October 5, 1892. Frederick Douglass, the famous former slave and activist, wrote the introduction, adding weight to her findings.

The Lynching That Sparked A Movement

Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Will Stewart died at the hands of a white mob on March 9, 1892. These three Black men owned People’s Grocery in Memphis, a store that took business from a nearby white-owned shop.

After a fight between white and Black youth, the white store owner spread rumors about the Black grocers. This led to their arrest. During the night, 75 masked men broke into the jail.

They took Moss, McDowell, and Stewart to a railroad yard and shot them. Moss was Wells’ close friend. Before dying, he said, “Tell my people to go West, there is no justice here.”

A Fearless Editorial With Consequences

Wells wrote a bold article in the Free Speech newspaper on May 21, 1892. She owned and edited this Black weekly paper in Memphis.

Her article attacked the common excuse for lynching – claims that Black men raped white women. Wells wrote that many of these relationships were actually willing ones. She warned that if white men weren’t careful, people might start to question the honor of white women.

This hint that white women might choose Black men as partners sparked fury. The Memphis Daily Commercial shot back, saying that Wells should not be allowed to spread such ideas.

The Destruction Of The Free Speech Newspaper

On May 27, 1892, while Wells was in New York, a white mob destroyed her newspaper office. They smashed the printing equipment and burned the building.

The attackers left warnings that they would kill Wells if she ever came back to Memphis. These were real threats in a place where mobs killed freely. Wells had to stay in the North to save her life.

She then urged Black people to leave Memphis since the city would not protect them. About 6,000 Black residents moved west, hurting Memphis businesses. This mass exit showed the economic power of the Black community.

From Memphis To New York City

Wells moved to New York after the attack on her newspaper. This move changed her life and the fight against lynching.

She joined the New York Age, a major Black newspaper. The editor, T. Thomas Fortune, gave Wells space to continue her campaign. Her articles for the New York Age became “Southern Horrors.”

In this work, Wells added more research about why lynch mobs formed and how they operated. In her introduction, Wells stated her purpose clearly: “Somebody must show that the Afro-American race is more sinned against than sinning, and it seems to have fallen upon me to do so.”

The Groundbreaking Investigation

“Southern Horrors” showed how lynch mobs formed and how officials let these killings happen. Wells tracked how rumors became death sentences without trials.

She created new ways to gather facts. Wells talked to witnesses, found families of victims, and checked different newspaper stories to find the truth. Her work proved that lynchings rarely punished crimes against white women.

Of hundreds of cases, only about one-third even claimed this reason. Wells found that many victims were killed because they had successful businesses or political power. White mobs targeted Black people who threatened white control of money and power.

The British Speaking Tours

Wells went to Great Britain twice in 1893 and 1894 to speak about American lynchings. Her talks brought world attention to violence that many Americans ignored. She spoke to packed halls across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The wife of the Mayor of Leeds introduced her to a large crowd. In Aberdeen, she filled the Music Hall. Her British tour led to the creation of the Anti-Lynching Committee of London.

Members of Parliament and other important Britons joined to pressure American officials. Wells showed photographs of lynching victims. These images, plus her careful research, made it impossible for listeners to dismiss her stories.

"A Red Record" Expands The Crusade

In 1895, Wells published “A Red Record,” a 100-page book that built on her earlier work. This book tracked lynchings by state and supposed cause, creating proof of widespread violence.

Wells counted more than 10,000 African Americans killed by lynching between 1864 and 1894. This huge number showed that lynchings were common, not rare events. The book mixed numbers with stories of real people.

She knew that statistics alone weren’t enough – readers needed to see the human cost. “A Red Record” became the first major statistical report on lynching in America. It made the scale of the killing impossible to deny.

Marriage And Continued Activism

Wells married Ferdinand L. Barnett on June 27, 1895. He was a Chicago lawyer, newspaper publisher, and the first Black assistant state’s attorney in Illinois.

She took the name Wells-Barnett, keeping her identity while showing her marriage. This choice went against the custom that women should take only their husband’s name.

Ferdinand supported her work when most wives were expected to stay home. Their partnership let Wells-Barnett continue fighting while raising a family.

They had four children together, plus two from Ferdinand’s first marriage. Though balancing family and activism was hard, Wells-Barnett kept writing, speaking, and organizing.

Appealing To The White House

On March 22, 1898, Wells-Barnett and eight Illinois congressmen met with President William McKinley. This was her first direct appeal to a president.

She urged action on the lynching of Frazier Baker, a Black postmaster in South Carolina, and his baby daughter. Since Baker worked for the government, Wells-Barnett argued the federal government must act.

Wells-Barnett pointed out that America protected its citizens in other countries but not at home. She noted that the U.S. had paid money to Italy and China when their citizens were lynched in America.

McKinley ordered an investigation, but the case ended without justice when an all-white jury couldn’t agree.

Founding Civil Rights Organizations

Wells-Barnett helped start the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. At the first meeting, she presented “Lynching, Our National Crime,” based on 20 years of research.

In 1913, she created Chicago’s Alpha Suffrage Club, the first voting rights group just for Black women. The club worked to get votes for women while fighting barriers facing Black voters.

From 1898 to 1902, she served as secretary of the National Afro-American Council, an early civil rights group. She kept records and helped set the group’s goals.

In 1910, she started the Negro Fellowship League in Chicago to help Southern Black migrants find housing, jobs, and education in the North.

Visiting The Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum in Holly Springs, Mississippi

You can learn about Ida B. Wells-Barnett and “Southern Horrors” at several important locations.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem holds original copies of “Southern Horrors” and other Wells writings. The center offers public viewing of these documents by appointment.

In New York, visit the former site of Lyric Hall (now demolished) at 723 Sixth Avenue where Wells gave her speech on October 5, 1892. A historical marker notes this important location.

The New York Public Library’s main branch displays Wells’ work in rotating exhibits. Check their schedule before visiting as exhibits change regularly.

In Memphis, the Ida B. Wells Plaza on Beale Street honors her work with informational displays about the People’s Grocery lynchings and her anti-lynching crusade.

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