How Did Ida B. Wells Play In The Civil Rights Movement?

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Ida B. Wells was an important social reformer, and a good part of her work was done in the 1890s during the Gilded Age. This era witnessed marginalized communities intensifying their fight against discrimination and inequality, catalyzing significant legal and societal transformations in the struggle for civil rights. Ida B. Wells worked in the civil rights movement and used her platform as a journalist to advocate for social justice on topics such as lynching and segregation. Wells also played a large role in the suffrage movement, and bridged the gap between African American and White suffragists. Several times throughout her career, Wells criticized other social reformers on how they worked, specifically when they challenged intersectionality, …show more content…
The Gilded Age, spanning roughly from the 1870s to the early 1900s, contained rapid industrialization, technological advancements, and significant social and economic disparities. During this time, the United States experienced unprecedented wealth accumulation among a small elite class, while many minorities, including African Americans and women, faced systemic discrimination and exploitation. Ida B. Wells became a distinguished figure during this tumultuous period by using her voice and activism to challenge the prevailing injustices of the time. As an African American woman living in the segregated South, Wells experienced firsthand the brutal realities of racism and discrimination. She became a vocal advocate for civil rights, particularly in the fight against lynching, which was rampant in the post-Reconstruction South. Wells's activism intersected with key issues of the Gilded Age, including racial inequality and women's suffrage. She was one of the founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization established in 1909 to combat racial discrimination and