f She sat bathed in the soft glow of the flickering kerosene lamp. Her mind churned with questions as her eyes hungrily devoured the words on the pages before her. There was so much to learn, now that she was allowed to, now that she was free from that inhibiting servile position. Suddenly another question came to mind:

bffWas she really free? Was it truly freedom when you must live in a state of fear and constraint, when all around you people are being killed for trying to preserve their rights, when there is unexplained hatred toward you, when you have to be careful about where you go, who you talk to, and what you say?

bffNo, this was not the freedom her people had longed for. They were still shackled and encaged in a world of discriminatory ways. She glanced over at the other side of the room which she shared with her younger siblings who were all fast asleep at that hour. The sound of their deep breathing in their slumber soothed her as she wondered if they would have to face the same injustices she was reading about when they grew older.

bffIf only there was something she could do to help, something that would stop the unbearable cycle. She knew that simply letting things occur on their own would not solve anything. Someone had to take action in some way, to participate and become active in the struggle. Instead of waiting for someone else to do it for her, she knew that this would be a job that she had to take on herself. She would find a way to change the situation and to establish true freedom and justice. This was her vision, her aim...her dream.

 

fThe strength, compassion and perseverance of Ida Bell Wells was shaped and cultivated by the nurturing of her parents and the influences of other experiences she had at a young age. Although Ida lived as a slave for only a few months, her parents, Jim Wells and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Warrenton were both born into and spent a large part of their lives in slavery. Jim was the son of a slave woman named Peggy, and her white master. Lizzie had been taken from her family and was repeatedly sold to slave traders since a young age. Ida was moved by the stories of the turbulence her parents faced as slaves, such as one occurrence when Mrs. Wells, the wife of Jim's white master, had Peggy stripped and beaten the day after the Mr. Wells died. This humiliating event to the ears of young Ida was a foreshadowing of the disgrace and brutality she would witness and fight against later in her life.

bffThe end of the Civil War in 1865 brought with it the Emancipation Proclamation issued in 1863, and the abolishment of slavery. The war had left a crippling blow to the economy and the society of the United States, especially the South. The period of Reconstruction brought with it a new struggle for black Americans to establish a place for themselves while fighting the obstacles that prevented them from forgetting their enslavement. Such barriers were segregation, racism, poverty, and the harsh treatment and violence by whites. Reconstruction did bring a number of beneficial changes to blacks such as the establishment of various laws and amendments aimed at protecting blacks' rights, and organizations such as the Freedman's Bureau.

bffIda's parents made use of their new found freedoms. One of the inhibitions of slavery was that slaves were often not allowed to get married legally. Though Ida's parents were not actually married before the war ended, they were considered a married couple. When the Civil War ended, former slaves, including Ida's parents, made the commitment of marriage as a sign of their new independence and the start of a new life together. This personal choice was a symbol of the devotion Ida's parents had for each other and their children.

bffIda's father, Jim Wells was an inspirational figure to her to stand up to protect the rights of blacks. Jim became involved in the politics of this time and stood up to take advantage of the new freedoms given to African Americans, such as voting. He was fired by the white man he was apprenticed to for voting on the side of the Republicans and Abraham Lincoln, but with a fulfilled spirit, Jim accepted the situation and began his own business.

bffEducation was one of the new experiences for blacks as schools were opened for former slaves. Ida's mother set an example for her children by going to school herself and learning to read and write. Ida entered her studies with an eagerness and encouragement from her parents. As she said in her autobiography Crusade for Justice:

"Our job was to go to school and learn all we could."

It was her duty to do her best in her studies at Shaw University (a school for African Americans of all grade levels, later named Rust College) until age sixteen. She was intrigued with learning to read, and she would read the newspaper to her father. When reading Ida became aware of how painful and how serious the clash between blacks and whites really was, especially in the South and in Mississippi.

bffWhy didn't whites want blacks to use the same facilities, go to the same schools, to have the same rights? Why did whites hold blacks responsible for the problems in the South, for the economic and social difficulties? Why were blacks used as scapegoats, and considered genetically inferior? Why were so many blacks being slaughtered by such groups as the Ku Klux Klan?

bffThese indirect exposures to the reality of the world around her caused Ida to ask questions, but they did not prevent her from living, and from dreaming. She had hope for an enhanced future that was inspired by the closeness, faith, and kindness of her family and church community. She also learned to help others who were in need, especially her parents who had to take care of eight children, and her older sister, Eugenia, who could not walk because of paralysis of her lower body. Then without warning, a terrible tragedy occurred in the Wells family that shook Ida's world and became one out of many tribulations that would test her endurance.

 

 

>>Courage in the Face of Tragedy