Ida B. Wells Monument

Photo credit - wil_liamhaley

On June 30th, 2021, ninety years after she passed away, a monument honoring one of the most notorious women in Chicago, the journalist, and activist, Ida B. Wells, was unveiled.

Wells was a former slave who became a teacher and a journalist and wrote about racial discrimination and lynchings all over the US. She raised national and international awareness of injustice when she published her researches in the local newspaper she co-owned and co-edited in Memphis. Wells relocated to Chicago after the newspaper office got burned, and her life was at risk. In Chicago, she continued dedicating her life fighting for equal rights and suffrage. Before her death, she was considered “the most famous black woman in the world.”

It took 13 years of fundraising and advocating for this monument, mainly by Wells’ great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster. Duster is devoting her life to get Wells the recognition she deserves. Her efforts led the city of Chicago to name a street in Wells’ honor and place a marker near her house. Duster is also an author and a Public Historian.

The monument committee chose the artist Richard Hunt to create it. Hunt is famous for using the inspiration of his African-American heritage in his art.

The monument stands in a park on the land where Ida B. Wells’ homes used to stand, and it is close to where Wells lived in the neighborhood of Bronzeville in Chicago.

It is the second statue in the city honoring a woman of color. The first one was dedicated only 3 years before, honoring the poet Gwendolyn Brooks.

A movie about the process of creating and installing the monument was created by the director and producer, Rana Segal, and the producer Laurie Little. Click for more info.

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