Wednesday, March 4, 2015

OC's presentation was really interesting, as she brought race into the conversation about women's rights  in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Ida B. Wells has become one of my favorite women in history as well after Tuesday's class!

She was clearly a woman who craved education and knowledge, and valued speaking her mind, which are two qualities that I highly value.  Wells went to two different colleges, and continued to find her education even after her parents died.  I think the funniest part of Ida's story was the train car incident, during which she literally bit the man who was trying to keep her out of the car.

Ida became incredibly controversial in her views, to the point where she was kicked out of the NAACP, which she helped create.  Her views aligned with W.E.B. Dubois, meaning that she believed African American's inalienable rights should be protected immediately, and anything less than that was outrageous.  During her time, however, most people were fans of another viewpoint:  Booker t. Washington.  Washington believed that black americans should "cast their own bucket" and basically deal with the hand that they've been dealt, and work within the white supremacy.  This was the easiest way for african americans to stay safe, and that coupled with the fact that whites supported the idea as well, most everyone agreed with Booker T. Washington.  Ida became so outspoken against his views that in her day she was incredibly controversial, and many people, even african americans, thought her to be crazy and wrong.  However, today she is hailed as an empowering woman in history who fought for what she believed was right, and in hindsight, who deserved more recognition than she received.

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