South Side Untold: Meet The First Black Woman in Chicago to Have A Major Street Named After Her
Hint: She lived in Bronzeville, and founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago in 1913.
It’s Financial Literacy Month, and we’re here to break down the topics that matter most to YOU.
Hey there, Chicago Southsiders,
We made it to April! And would you look at that — the sun is starting to peek out like it forgot we lived through five months of winter. 🌞
Here’s something I didn’t know until recently: April is Black Women’s History Month. Yep — it’s a real thing. And now that we’re in the thick of it, there’s no better time to show some serious love to a true South Side legend… Ida B. Wells.
Now, you’ve probably heard her name before. Maybe in school, maybe at a protest, maybe while cruising down Ida B. Wells Drive. But did you know she actually lived right here on the South Side, near 36th and King Drive? And get this — she married Ferdinand L. Barnett, a Chicago lawyer and editor of The Chicago Conservator newspaper. That’s what we typically call a power couple.
Ida was a journalist, an activist, and an all-around force of nature. She put her pen to paper and took aim at the racial violence and lynching happening post-Civil War. But when she moved to Chicago in her 30s, she didn’t stop. Nope — she helped open one of the first kindergartens for Black children, and in 1913, founded the Alpha Suffrage Club to help Black women organize and vote.
And here’s a South Side flex you might not know: In 2019, Congress Parkway was renamed Ida B. Wells Drive — making her the first Black woman to have a major street named after her in Chicago. History made. Right in the heart of downtown.
So if you’ve ever marched for justice, lifted up your community, or made your voice heard — you're walking in Ida's footsteps.
Next time you're downtown, take a stroll down Ida B. Wells Drive and remember: we stand on the shoulders of giants.
Read more about Ida B. Wells here.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Until next time!
—Charlene Rhinehart
Publisher, Chicago Southsider 🖤
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