Ida B. Wells
This woman is a case study in resilience. Born into slavery in 1862, she grew up free thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation. She also practiced civil disobedience before it was a thing when she refused to move to the car designated for African-Americans during a train trip. After being forcibly removed from the train, she sued the railroad and won, only to have the decision overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court. This inspired her to begin a lifelong career of writing about the many injustices she witnessed, especially lynchings. Oh, and she helped found the NAACP, was deeply committed to ending discrimination against women, and (unsuccessfully) ran for the Illinois state senate. Perhaps this quote sums up what drove her: “I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap.”
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