MEMPHIS, Tenn. — 130 years after her work reporting on the brutal lynching of three black men, Memphis is finally honoring journalist Ida B. Wells for her work and legacy.
The Memphis Memorial Committee announced Thursday there will be a week-long celebration to honor the civil rights activist and mid-south journalist. During that celebration, the committee will the nation's 1st statue of Wells.
This will be the 2nd memorial in the nation after Chicago revealed a sculpture in her honor last month.
Organizers said it's about time the city honored Wells for all she's done for civil rights.
"Her work, her worlds will continue to serve as an inspiration and a guide, and it will be a guide. A guide for anyone who's walking in this area, whether they're from Holland or Holly Springs. The opportunity for young people to really see, absorb, take in, and receive and share the contributions that she made to Memphis,” said Ruby Bright, Co-Chair of Events Committee.
The week-long event will kick off Sunday with community worship.
Throughout the week, organizers will hold a virtual panel discussion on wells' legacy in journalism, a pilgrimage to the place where those three men were lynched, a parade in downtown Memphis, and a bus-ride to her hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi.
There they will meet up with civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and members of the NAACP, which Wells helped to start.