Mississippi Mavens Stand Against Racism, Injustice, and Segregation

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Mississippi history is full of strong African American women who made a stand against racism, injustice, and segregation, or paved the way for others to achieve the American Dream. Ida B. Wells, Ruby Bridges, and Oprah Winfrey each fought for equality of African-Americans in different ways and different time periods, but each has made a major impact on Mississippi and elsewhere in the United States.
Ida B. Wells was born in Holy Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862. Ida was born into slavery. Ida’s father served on the board of trustees for Rust College so he made education a priority for his 7 children. Ida received early schooling but she had to drop out at the age of 16, when tragedy struck her family. Both her parents and one sibling died in a yellow fever outbreak, so Ida was left to care for her younger siblings. Ida was a very strong African American woman she formed the National Association of colored women in 1896. Ida B. Wells should be remembered as an African-American woman who battled both racism and sexism at a time when it was extremely dangerous to speak out. She used her gift of writing, speaking and organizing to help shed light on injustice. She was extremely brave and held steadfast to her convictions despite being criticized, ostracized and marginalized by her contemporaries. Ida was a fighter she fought against prejudice, no matter what potential dangers she faced. Ida had gotten married to Ferdinand Barnett in 1898 and she was known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett. On March 25, 1931 Ida B. Wells had passed away from kidney disease she was at the age of 69. Ida was a great writer she left some great speeches and protests behind.
Ruby Bridges was born September 8, 1954 and Tylertown, Mississippi. She was the fir...

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...he also played in one of my all-time favorite movies The Color Purple, Which she was nominated for an academy award for best supporting actress. Oprah makes so much money she made over 51,000,000 for charitable programs. And she sends the money off to girl’s education in South Africa and to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Ida B Wells took up the mantle against lynching; Ruby Bridges tackled segregation in schools; Oprah Winfrey toppled the pro-white, pro-male entertainment industry. All three of these women go beyond being heroines. They are African-American community; they even go beyond being Mississippi heroines. They are American heroines. Do to their efforts, lynching in Mississippi and the south tapered dramatically, schools in Louisiana were desegregated, and the world has come to know a powerful and generous African-American and female multibillionaire.

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