Ida B. Wells was a pioneering civil rights activist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was an African-American journalist, suffragist, and anti-lynching crusader. Wells was born into slavery in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and went on to become one of the most influential figures in the struggle for racial justice. She wrote extensively about the horrors of lynching and was a vocal advocate for women's rights. Her work helped to shape the civil rights movement and her legacy continues to inspire generations of activists.