Allison Williams
10/18/21
GWS 100
Section 170W

Introduction to Safiya Saidah Charles’ snapshot- In the snapshot, we see a photograph of Ida B. Wells that was modified with colors on her clothing as well as the background. I chose this snapshot because the colors stood out from the snapshots because normally, whenever we search through historical images they are monochromatic. Another point that I liked in this image is that the pattern on her clothing contains flowers which in my opinion grabs the viewer’s attention. In the film named “Ida B. Wells: A Passion For Justice”, it is learned that Wells was born in 1862 to her parents who were slaves. She worked as schoolteacher to educate African Americans while they were not allowed to read or write during slavery. Wells was physically removed from the ladies’ car and was told to go to the smoking car of the train. She fought back at the conductor but to no avail she was removed from the train as the whites were cheering at the situation. This leads to Wells to file a complaint to the court due to the violation of the law that she did not follow the rule towards black people during segregation. After the court battle, Wells won the fight and was given $500. But her victory did not last long, because the railroad company took the case to appeal which caused the decision to be undone and Wells lost the fight as she hoped for equality towards blacks. I feel disappointed for her at the fact that she and the other blacks were mistreated due to segregation. Blacks have the right to choose to sit wherever they wish. Wells became a journalist after losing her job as a schoolteacher due to exposing the school’s mistreatment and corruption towards teaching black people, she shared her story about being mistreated and the article itself was published to newspapers. According to the reading “One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview” by the author E. Susan Barber, Ida B. Wells created and joined an anti-lynching movement throughout the US after three black men were assassinated in Memphis. The lynching movement that was used as a tool to repress black Americans in the United States was inhumane at best. The movement against lynching that Ida B. Wells was such an integral part of, raised the money and support needed to pass a bill to eradicate the killing of innocent people. Her courage and strength saved so many lives, and was certainly pivotal in the fight for civil rights in America that continue to evolve. I agree with her decision for starting a movement that is against lynching blacks because this type of treatment it’s beyond causing problems, it’s just wrong. It also affects black people in society due to rules that relates about segregation. In the video “Untold Stories of Black Women in the suffrage movement”, it discusses other famous activists besides Wells like Susan B. Anthony and Anna Julia Cooper who were involved at the women’s suffrage movement help to put an end to both slavery and ownership of women in history. Like Wells, Cooper was born into slavery yet she grew up and worked her way through into college and graduated in the year 1884 and she also worked as an educator in the 1930s. I agree with her decision of being part of the suffrage movement because she ensured that the movement that will put a stop to segregation and allow blacks to have equality as other people in public to do whenever they wish in life.