Ida B. Wells: A Chicago Stories Special screening

There are few Chicago historical figures whose life and work speak to the current moment more than Ida B. Wells, the 19th century crusading investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and passionate suffragist. In the wake of her recent posthumous Pulitzer Prize citation, Chicago street naming, and the release of a revealing new biography by her great-granddaughter, WTTW will premiere a new CHICAGO STORIES special that tells her story as never before. The program tells her story through interviews with her descendants and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting and the landmark 1619 Project.

Visit the website for the Ida B. Wells program to find an extended interview with Nikole Hannah-Jones on Wells’ journalistic legacy, a photo essay by Chicago architecture writer/photographer Lee Bey, and a guide to seven Chicago locations where modern-day admirers can follow in Wells’ footsteps.

This event will take place in the Library’s Meeting room and on Zoom simultaneously. Viewers can watch this movie at the library or at home online.