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Last reviewed:

Ida B. Wells

1862–1931

African American journalist and civil rights campaigner.

What they got right

She separated fact from excuse: by counting lynchings, often from white newspapers' own reports, she showed the usual justification was rarely even claimed.

Skill it shows

Fact vs opinion

Practise this skill

Also: Numbers and chance

The answer always is, 'Tell the world the facts.'
The Red Record (1895) Source
The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.
Speech, 1892, as reported in The Washington Bee (October 1892)

Worth knowing

Some of her figures rely on counts published by the Chicago Tribune, the best available data at the time.

Try it yourself

Pick a popular claim about a group of people. What facts would you need to count to check it, and where would you find them?