Ida B. Wells was born into slavery in 1862 in Holly Springs, Miss. She grew up during Reconstruction and later became a journalist, suffragist and antilynching crusader. She was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 2020 for her reporting on the violence against African Americans during the era of lynching.
Michelle Duster shares several amazing stories about her great-grandmother’s life in her new book, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells. Duster is the keynote speaker for the National Federation of Press Women’s 2021 Conference, where she’ll discuss her book and great-grandmother’s legacy Friday.
Hosted by Arkansas Press Women, this year’s event is virtual and registration is still open.
We reached out to Michelle Duster ahead of her presentation to discuss her new book and to learn more about what it was like to grow up knowing she was related to such a famous woman. You can listen to our conversation at the top of this page.
