Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth : Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader

An inspiring picture book biography of groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, as told by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster.

Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public speaker, suffragist, civil rights activist, and women’s club leader. She was a founder of the NAACP, the National Association of Colored Women, the Alpha Suffrage Club, and the Negro Fellowship League. Born in 1862, Ida challenged the racist and sexist norms of the late nineteenth and early twenthieth centuries through her writing and speaking. Faced with criticism and threats to her life, she never gave up.
Long overlooked, Ida's life and work shine in this picture book, timed for the 160th anniversary of her birth. This extraordinary true story is told by her great-granddaughter, Michelle Duster, who has been recognized for her activism and fight for contemporary racial justice, and is beautifully brought to life by Coretta Scott King Award Honoree artist Laura Freeman.

Michelle Duster is an author, speaker, educator, and the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells. Her most recent work is Ida B., the Queen and an anthology, Michelle Obama’s Impact on African American Women and Girls.

Originally from New York City, Laura Freeman now lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children. She received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has illustrated over thirty children’s books, including Coretta Scott King Honor book Hidden Figures, written by Margot Lee Shetterly