https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-ida-b-wells.html
In this article by the New York Times, reporter Caitlin Dickerson covers the recent decision by the paper to finally grant obituaries posthumously to 15 prominent feminists and women’s rights figures who previously had been overlooked to received the honor. Included among the honorees are a couple of feminist thinkers who we have studied in class, namely Ida B. Wells.
This expose by the Times features biographies of the women icons as well as an article documenting their accomplishments; In Well’s piece I learned many things about her work that I hadn’t previously known. Wells is most famous for her coverage of lynching and her description of how it acted as a “violent form of subjugation against the negro- keeping him in terror and forever aware of the power held over him.” I was not as aware of her struggles with facing backlash from racists whose deeds were exposed by their reporting. While I had always imagined that the oppressive background of our nation had somehow affected Wells’ work at sometime at her career, I had no idea the extent of harassment and terror she endured while carrying out her duty as a journalist. She faced thousands of death threats and even backlash from her own editors who did not want to offend southern sponsors and donors.
In spite of all this Wells fought passionately against patriarchy and racism her entire life, and while I am glad the Times is finally honoring her, her work for the oppressed cannot be valued enough.
-Jaylen Rodgers