Introduction
Lynching is the act of a mob killing a person for alleged offense(s) with or without a legal trial [ CITATION Dor04 \ 1033]. The video Ida Wells Her Great Passion for Justice Anti- Lynching Crusader demonstrates how she contributed to anti-lynching movement through Dyer Bill. The Dyer Bill was a foundation that exposed lynching and how it affected people. To cover reactions to the video, this report will highlight three aspects: the role of women in fighting social injustice, brutality towards the Black people and women in politics.
Role of Women in Fighting Social Injustice
One of the lessons that can be learned from the video is the role of women in fighting against social injustices. Lynching was a social injustice that targeted African-Americans. Ida Wells fought for freedom and social justice in U.S. The video depicts Wells as a crusader for justice. She traveled domestically and abroad to raise awareness of the oppression African- Americans faced and was a fierce advocate of anti-lynching laws. She was the founder of NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) which was against lynching.
Up-to-date, NAACP is one of the parties fighting for civil rights working to ensure minority groups access educational and social opportunities just like other groups. Wells created a blueprint that most people have found useful in comprehending functions of an activist. Unlike in most cases where activists are men, Wells illustrates that women can also be visible in liberating the citizens from chains of injustices such as lynching [ CITATION Ida15 \ 1033].
Brutality towards the Black people
Since historical periods, Black women were visible in fighting brutalities in U.S [CITATION Lyn01 \l 1033]. Lynching brutalized mostly the Blacks. The video illustrates the fight of Wells against brutal realities of lynching after the death of her friends [CITATION Ida15\l 1033]. When Wells investigated her friends’ murders and various attacks, she discovered that lynching targeted those black people who failed to pay debts, the blacks who did not give way to the Whites on the road and those Blacks who were successful in businesses [CITATION Ida15 \ 1033]. This indicates that the Whites hated the Black people and could use any reason to lynch the Blacks. Thomas Moss (a Black friend of Ida Wells) who opened a successful grocery and other black men were lynched by the White mob while in police custody [ CITATION Ida15 \I 1033]. This suggests that lynching targeted the Blacks and Ida in spite of being a woman was a big anti-lynching crusader.
Women in Politics
The visibility of Black women in politics can be traced back to the historical periods in the nineteen century where Black women organized on local, state and national level to engage in educational, philanthropic and welfare activities [ CITATION Ler74 1 1033]. After the Civil War, national club movements of white and black women started to form, and this was facilitated by urbanization and the presence of a sizeable group of educated women.
In the 1890’s, local clubs in the club communities started to form federations. In 1896, NACW (National Association of Colored Women) united several local women’s clubs. The pioneering black historians recorded various activities done by the black women’s club movement such as educational, philanthropic and welfare activities [ CITATION Ler74 \l 1033]. Since 1900, black women have actively participated in politics [ CITATION Lyn01 \l 1033]. A good example is Ida Wells who put all odds behind to ensure the Blacks were treated equally as the Whites.
In conclusion, Ida Wells is a good example that should be used to encourage women to participate in activities such as politics and fighting against injustices, (practices that previously were deemed to be done only by men).
References
- Apel, D. (2004). The imagery of lynching: black men, white women, and the mob. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press.
- Lerner, G. (1974). Early Community Work of Black Club Women. The Journal of Negro History, 59(2), 158-167.
- Olson, L. (2001). Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Wells, I. (Director). (2015). Ida B Wells Her Great Passion For Justice Anti Lynching Crusader [Motion Picture].
