Ida B. Wells is many things. A mother, a journalist, a teacher, an anti-lynching activist, a women's rights activist, and a civil rights pioneer. But above all she is a heroine. She faced many challenges in her life, including being born a slave and becoming an orphan at the age of sixteen. But even with everything that happened to her, she still managed to pave the way for a better life for herself and others. Ida Bell Wells was born into slavery, the eldest of seven children in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on July 16, 1862. Shortly after her birth, Ida and her parents were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation , published January 1, 1863. His father was considered a “man of race,” who worked for the advancement of black people, notably campaigning for Africa. American political candidates, although he never ran for office himself. He also attended Shaw College, although he had to drop out to help support his family. When Ida was sixteen, while visiting a grandmother in Memphis, she learned that a yellow fever epidemic had struck Holly Springs, leaving her parents and ten-month-old brother dead. Now an orphan, Ida got a teaching job to support her five remaining siblings. Ida attended Shaw's College, but left before she could graduate. Soon after, she moved to Memphis and began her crusades for the betterment of the lives of herself and others. There, she began writing editorials under the pseudonym Iola condemning violence against blacks, poor schools, disenfranchisement, and the inability of blacks to realize the full potential of their rights. In 1892, Tom Moss, a friend of Ida's and a well-respected black store owner, was lynched, along with two of his friends, after trying to...... middle of paper...... up to today (although they have slightly changed their name, and slightly their objectives as well). Ida worked for equality her entire life, almost until the day she died. The number of lives she changed is countless and her work will always be remembered. Ida Bell Wells-Barnett will forever be known as a hero. Works Cited “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.” PBS. PBS, January 1, 2002. Web. May 2, 2014. “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases: Ida B. Wells.” Internet Archive. Librivox, July 28, 2013. Web. May 2, 2014. Baker, Lee. “Ida B. Wells-Barnett and her passion for justice.” Ida B. Wells-Barnett and her passion for justice. Duke Edu, April 1, 2013. Web. May 2 2014. .