Top Ida B. Wells Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Ida B. Wells Biography

Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931), more commonly known as Ida B. Wells, was an African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, feminist, Georgist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. She arguably became the most famous black woman in America, during a life that was centered on combating prejudice and violence.

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Ida B. Wells Quotes

The miscegenation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all the colored girls he can, but it is death to the colored man who yields to the force and advances of a similar attraction in white women. White men lynch the offending Afro-American, not because he is a despoiler of virtue, but because he succumbs to the smiles of white women.

Girl, Men, Miscegenation, Similar, Virtue, White

Lynching is color line murder.

Color, Line, Lines, Lynching

Although lynchings have steadily increased in number and barbarity during the last twenty years, there has been no single effort put forth by the many moral and philanthropic forces of the country to put a stop to this wholesale slaughter.

Country, Lynching, Lynchings, Number, Years

I had an instinctive feeling that the people who have little or no school training should have something coming into their homes weekly which dealt with their problems in a simple, helpful way. . . so I wrote in a plain, common-sense way on the things that concerned our people.

Feeling, Home, Problems, School, Simple

The lesson this teaches and which every Afro-American should ponder well, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give. When the white man who is always the aggressor knows he runs as great a risk of biting the dust every time his Afro-American victim does, he will have greater respect for Afro-American life. The more the Afro-American yields and cringes and begs, the more he has to do so, the more he is insulted, outraged and lynched.

Begs, Give, Home, Men, Running, Victim

The city of Memphis has demonstrated that neither character nor standing avails the Negro if he dares to protect himself against the white man or become his rival.

Character, Demonstrated, Men, Protect, White, White Man

There must always be a remedy for wrong and injustice if we only know how to find it.

African American, Injustice, Know, Remedy, Wrong

I am only a mouthpiece through which to tell the story of lynching and I have told it so often that I know it by heart. I do not have to embellish; it makes its own way.

Heart, Lynching, Mouthpiece, Stories, Tell, Way

The South resented giving the Afro-American his freedom, the ballot box and the Civil Rights Law.

Ballot, Giving, Law, Resented, Rights

The white man’s victory soon became complete by fraud, violence, intimidation and murder.

Became, Complete, Fraud, Men, Victory, White Man

I came home every Friday afternoon, riding the six miles on the back of a big mule. I spent Saturday and Sunday washing and ironing and cooking for the children and went back to my country school on Sunday afternoon.

Came, Children, Country, Friday, Mule, Washing

The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.

Compare, Educator, People, Press

Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual, so gagged and bound he cannot make even feeble resistance or defense.

Brave, Bravery, Lynching, Make, Men, Resistance

The only times an Afro-American who was assaulted got away has been when he had a gun and used it in self-defense.

Away, Defense, Gun, Self, Times

The negro has suffered far more from the commission of this crime against the women of his race by white men than the white race has ever suffered through his crimes.

Lynching, Men, Race, White, Women

A Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home.

Black, Home, Honor, Place, Rifle, Should Have

The Afro-American is not a bestial race.

Afros, Bestial, Race

The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.

Light, Right, Turn, Turns, Way

Virtue knows no color line.

Color, Knows, Line, Lines, Virtue

The alleged menace of universal suffrage having been avoided by the absolute suppression of the negro vote, the spirit of mob murder should have been satisfied and the butchery of negroes should have ceased.

Ceased, Lynching, Menace, Negroes, Should Have, Spirit

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