Power Through the Press: Ida B. Wells’ Activism and Economic Strategy
Summary: Ida B. Wells used investigative journalism to expose racial violence and economic injustice in the post-Reconstruction South, linking media, politics, and economic power as essential tools for Black liberation. By confronting lynching, supporting collective economic resistance, and rejecting accommodationist strategies, her work helped lay the foundation for modern civil rights organizations and media-driven activism.
Through her intensive journalistic skills, Ida B. Wells used the Power of the media to bring the horror of racial violence and injustice towards black people in the United States, mainly in the South. Ida’s evolution of activism started in education and reading newspapers, trying to understand the politics and laws in the South. Inspired by her father, who was heavily involved in politics and the struggle for equality, Ida’s journey into journalism began. (A Passion for Justice 3:55)
Ida believed that Economics and Politics during this period were essential for Black People to obtain Power in the South and throughout the nation. For black people during those days, it was almost impossible to even start a business without confronting violence from white mobs. In the case of Will Stewart, Calvin McDowell, and Thomas Moss, three black businessmen who opened a grocery in Memphis, the business was short-lived. White mobs reacted with violence and, in the end, murdered all three of the black businesspeople, who were savagely beaten to death because of the pursuit of building their own economic wealth. White Anglo-Saxons dominated both financial and political Power, which enabled them to have the upper hand in passing laws that would benefit them.
“‘Why, it was just six weeks ago that the lynching took place.’ [Wells said.] ‘But the streetcar company had nothing to do with the lynching,’ said one of the men. ‘It is owned by northern capitalists.’ ‘And run by southern lynchers,’ I retorted. ‘We have learned that every white man of any standing in town knew of the plan and consented of the lynching of our boys.’” (Wells, Crusade for Justice)
Not all black people at the time agreed with Ida’s strategy and tactics. Booker T. Washington believed that a segregated system to build a black economic structure was the best solution. Ida B. Wells, along with W.E.B. DuBois, thought otherwise, and institutions like the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs are ultimately the tools needed to bring about justice.
Conclusion:
The legacy of Ida B. Wells underscores why truly independent journalism is more vital today than ever before. In an era marked by concentrated media ownership, political polarization, and the rapid spread of misinformation, the role Wells embodied—journalism rooted in evidence, moral clarity, and accountability—remains essential to a functioning democracy. Independent journalists have the capacity to challenge entrenched power, expose systemic injustice, and give voice to communities that are often marginalized or silenced. As Wells demonstrated, journalism is not merely a vehicle for reporting events; it is a tool for social awareness, civic engagement, and structural change. Without independent journalism committed to truth rather than profit or political convenience, societies risk losing the transparency and critical scrutiny necessary to protect human rights and uphold justice.
Citation:
Wells, Ida B. Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells. Edited by Alfreda M. Duster, University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Ida B Wells A Passion For Justice. YouTube, uploaded by Africana & Latino Studies, 1 March 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEu_-MAHoLU