February is Black History month, and as we reflect on the triumphs and history of African Americans, we want to acknowledge the role of Black women in the voting rights movement. From Ida B. Wells to Stacey Abrams, Black women have played a pivotal role in the advancement of voting rights. Although there have been obstacles along the way, Black women as a collective power are a force to be reckoned with. While Black women are not a monolith in any shape or form, they have and continue to use their voices to make progress on many issues, especially voting rights.
The voting rights advocates of today stand on the shoulders of those who came before them.
Born into slavery, Ida B. Wells was one of the early leaders of the civil rights movement. As a journalist, she led an antilynching crusade and fought for women’s rights. She also fought tirelessly for the right to vote, all while facing discrimination within the suffragist movement. In 1913, Wells co-founded the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first Black women’s suffrage group in the state of Illinois.
To this day, Wells is honored as an advocate for women’s equality and racial equality. Ida B. Wells biography