“Just think. There will be generations that think it’s perfectly normal for a major street in downtown Chicago to be named after an African American woman. Ida B Wells made history in her quest for equal rights. We made history by making her visible.”
Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells
Anyone visiting or living in Chicago now has the opportunity to learn about the history and contributions of a pioneering Black woman honored on a major city thoroughfare.
On Monday, February 11, 2019, Ida B. Wells was commemorated with the renaming of Congress Parkway—now Ida B. Wells Drive—in downtown Chicago. This historic gesture marked the first time an African-American woman received such public recognition on a major Chicago street.
The ceremony brought together dignitaries, elected officials, activists, journalists, and residents to celebrate Wells’s enduring legacy and to reflect on what the renaming of Congress Parkway means for future generations.
“She was an original boss,” said 4th Ward alderwoman Sophia King, who led the initiative alongside 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly. “She spoke truth to power and changed the landscape of Chicago and the world.”
Born Ida B. Wells-Barnett on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, she was a trailblazing journalist, speaker, and civil rights activist known for her fearless crusade against the lynching of Black men. Wells traveled the globe, exposing racial injustices and inequities that had led to countless deaths.
Many may not know the profound impact Wells had on Chicago’s South Side. Moving to Chicago in her 30s, she married Ferdinand L. Barnett—a prominent newspaper man and lawyer who founded The Conservator, the city’s first black newspaper. In 1910, they established the Negro Fellowship League, which supported Black migrants from the South by offering library resources, housing, employment assistance, and a community center.
Wells also set up one of the first kindergartens for Black children in the city. On January 30, 1913, she founded the Alpha Suffrage Club to help Black women secure the right to vote in Illinois—a move that contributed to the political empowerment of Black Chicagoans, including the election of Oscar de Priest as the city’s first Black alderman in 1915.
Despite her monumental contributions to racial justice, many remain unaware of the full extent of her work. For over a decade, Michelle Duster—Wells’s great-granddaughter—has worked to change that narrative. As the author of Ida B. the Queen and editor of Ida in Her Own Words, Duster believes that renaming Congress Parkway is a crucial step toward ensuring that the legacies of Black women like Ida B. Wells remain visible in public spaces.
“This is not just about Ida B. Wells,” said Duster. “It’s about we as black women — we need to be seen.”
Ida B. Wells dedicated more than three decades to empowering Black men and women on Chicago’s South Side until her death on March 25, 1931. Duster hopes that Wells’s story will inspire a new generation of leaders and pave the way for more women to be recognized for their contributions to the city.
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