MY MUSING: SUMMARY OF SERIES ON IDA B. WELLS BARNETT
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As a Black woman in America, navigating a society that often fails to recognize or value our experiences and contributions has been challenging. Even today, we must fight to keep our history and stories alive. I can't believe a school in Florida, just this week, banned the Disney movie about Ruby Bridges, who, when she was six years old, integrated a school in the South. While things have improved since Ida B Wells lived, we are regressing now and might benefit from learning about her work and fight for justice and equality. To summarize my month of musing on Ida B. Wells, here are some crucial points for us to remember today.
Ida B. Wells understood the importance of speaking truth to power: She refused to remain silent in the face of injustice and used her voice to speak truth to power. Her fearless reporting, constant writing, and activism exposed the brutal realities of racial violence. She helped spark a movement for change. Today, regardless of race, we can use our voices to advocate for justice and equity and stand up against injustice wherever we see it.
Someone mentioned the importance of organizing on the radio the other day, reminding me of Ida. She used her networks and influence to build community. Ida mobilized people around important issues like suffrage (voting), education, and lynching. Today, we can learn from her example by working with others to effect change and by using our networks to build bridges across communities and amplify our voices and other marginalized groups' voices.
Speaking of education, Ida understood the value of education and used it as a tool to empower others. Despite facing tremendous barriers as a Black woman in the 19th century, she got an education and used her knowledge to challenge the status quo. Today, we can follow in her footsteps by seeking knowledge, learning from diverse perspectives, and using our education to combat regression and create positive change in the world.
As a woman fighting for Civil Rights and as a Black Suffragist, Ida understood how race, class, and gender overlapped and complicated inequalities. She understood how the struggles for civil rights and women's rights often put her at odds with the entities she was trying to support and build. Today, we can learn from her example by recognizing, embracing, and voicing our intersectionality through activism and advocacy.
We can learn a lot from Ida's life, but lastly, I will mention her perseverance. Ida B. Wells had the determination of a pit bull. (I don't know where that analogy came from, but I must have heard it somewhere.) Anyway, she faced some incredible obstacles and setbacks throughout her life, but she never gave up. Her persistence and determination helped her to overcome some significant personal hurdles and make a lasting impact on history. Today, we can learn from her example by pushing past adversity and fighting for justice and equity, even when progress seems slow, regressive, and difficult.
I want to end by saying that I apologize to anyone who takes offense to me calling Ida by her first name. I don't mean to show any disrespect. I absolutely love this woman. She is still very much alive and is a friend in my head.
Sophia Brewer (M.L.I.S.) is Collection Development and Serials Librarian, Grand Rapids Community College; Co-President of the Greater Grand Rapids History Council; member of the Grand Rapids Study Club and serves on the Grand Rapids Public Library, Board of Library Commissioners (Elected 2016-2021). She is a former Head of Programs, Grand Rapids Public Library and former Branch Manager, Madison Square Branch, Grand Rapids Public Library Congresswoman
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