21 Peachtree Publishers • 1700 Chattahoochee Ave • Atlanta, GA • 30318 • 800-241-0113 TEACHER’S GUIDE Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist Written by Philip Dray | Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn HC: 978-1-56145-417-4 Ages 10–14 | Biography AR • RC • GRL P; Gr 3 “The way to right wrongs is to turn journey from slavery to freedom, from childhood to the light of truth upon them.” adulthood, and from powerlessness to power during a —Ida B. Wells harrowing time in U.S. history explains how one selfless and dedicated person can alter history and write/right ABOUT THE BOOK the wrongs of injustice. Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist shares the story of Ida B. Wells and her THEMES unflinching bravery, strong-willed courage, unquestioned • Social Injustice / Social Justice talent, unabashed self-determination, uncompromising • African-American Women’s History truthfulness, and unconditional love for her family and • Activism her race. Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s life and experiences form • Racism and Sexism a significant link in the history of African-American • Slavery / Freedom women’s activism against racism and sexism. Born a slave, but swaddled in love and allowed to • Journalism remain with her natural parents, she attended the schools • Jim Crow Laws of the post-Civil War South, where learning to read • Civil Rights / Human Rights opened up doors of wisdom, opportunity, and • The U.S. Constitution and Amendments imagination. It also reinforced a sense of community and • Dreams and aspirations communal responsibility that shaped her life and directed • Segregation and integration her fate and her future. In a text that begins with the Civil War and vividly BEFORE YOU READ moves the reader through The Emancipation • Because of the sensitive and mature nature of this Proclamation, Reconstruction, post-Reconstruction, and subject, the instructor should contextualize the story Jim Crow Laws, Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells explores this by preparing reading, listening, and if available, history through the eyes of a Black female journalist. audio-visual centers. Early in her life, Wells learned the significance and power Reading center: Place books on the following of the written word. Reading the newspaper to her topics in a classroom reading area: African and parents exposed her to a much larger and complicated African-American folktales or folklore; African- world. Realizing that her words could influence and American women writers (fiction and nonfiction); promote change, she dreamed of becoming a journalist. The Civil War, The U.S. South, Reconstruction, Dray’s simple, straightforward, and respectful The Emancipation Proclamation, The account of one remarkable African-American woman’s Constitution—especially the 13th, 14th, and 15th 43 Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells Teacher’s Guide amendments, Abraham Lincoln, political and Science, religion, stereotypes, mythologies, gaps social activism. in history and culture, and hate can be used to Listening center: Make available recordings of abuse a group/race of people. African-American slave songs, early ballads, work • Ask students the following questions: songs, spirituals, speeches, sermons, protest songs, 1. Who was Ida B. Wells? and readings of some of the folklore. 2. What is a journalist and what do they do? Audio-Video center: Offer video of speeches, 3. Who are abolitionists, suffragists, and sermons, and documentaries on slavery and post- prohibitionists? [Explain that these groups slavery African-American life. changed the laws and the Constitution because of • Have students write in their journals responses to their activism]. what they see, read, and hear for use in future 4. What are activists and what do they do? [Activists discussions, writings, and group work. Based on the are people who use different methods to change background from the texts the teacher and students society or promote political change.] use, students should be prepared to make inferences 5. Name people you think of as activists. Tell how and draw conclusions based on intertextualities. they were activists. [Answers may include • Prepare on chart paper and then discuss some of the Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Henry David information below. Keep the chart up as a reference Thoreau, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Cesar after reading the book. Chavez, etc. You may also want to include some Millions of Africans were stolen from their celebrities who are known for their activism, i.e. homeland, communities, and families and forced Brad Pitt, Richard Gere, Sean Penn, Mos Def, to work as slaves. Angelina Jolie, Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey] These Africans had no idea where they were • Identify some famous activists (see above) and ask going or what was expected of them. They were students the following questions: chained and as many people as possible were 1. What methods did these people use to bring stuffed into the holds of the ships because the about change? slavers expected a certain number of the Africans 2. Is all activism positive? to die. 3. Have older students discuss lynching. If Slaves were forbidden to learn to read or to teach appropriate, at this point, read or play the song reading to others. “Strange Fruit” by Lewis Allen as sung by Billie Families and tribespeople were separated so that Holiday. Have students write personal responses there would be no threat of rebellion. to the song. Have them list any words that they Discipline was maintained with whipping, do not understand. Discuss the use of imagery/ beatings, starvation, and maiming. figurative language. Slaves were sold nude either on auction blocks or 4. What would be the purpose of lynching? How in lots, like chattel (personal property owned by would you respond to news of a lynching? Is an individual). there a link between slavery and lynching? If so, Slaves were thrown together without regard for what is it? Does lynching still happen today? gender, age, language, or country of origin. How? Where? Slave owners wanted slaves to believe that everything about their homeland and their AS YOU READ culture was inferior. Slaves were punished for Read the book aloud to the class straight through to hold practicing any aspect of their culture, especially the students’ interest and to promote a love of reading. their languages. Then, review the book a second time, stopping to allow Most slaves were given insufficient clothing and students to point out parts of the story they had questions rations. Small children were not allotted any about and/or interested them. Next, discuss and answer clothing, were fed in pig troughs without dishes questions. All questions that cannot be answered during or utensils, and were usually cared for by an the discussion can be written down on chart paper and elderly slave woman. used at a later time as part of the learning activities in this Slavery was constitutionally legal and slaves were guide. considered to be worth three-fifths of a human being. 2 Copyright ©2016 by Peachtree Publishers. All rights reserved. 65 Teacher’s Guide Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells AFTER YOU READ writer are included in quotation marks. Ask them to Ask the following questions: identify any adjectives included in the article. Do the 1. Based on the reading, describe Wells’ personality and adjectives add to the writing or do they sway the the tone/mood of the book. reader in a certain direction? If the adjectives 2. What is Ida’s favorite pastime or hobby? How is her influence their opinions, is the article objective or pastime beneficial for her whole family, especially her subjective (biased)? parents? • Have students write an article on a current event. 3. How many siblings does Ida have? Tell them to answer the 5 W’s and How. Instruct 4. What happens during the yellow fever epidemic that them to include quotations based on interviews (real proves Ida’s determination and her love of her or imagined). Have them exchange articles for peer family? reviews. Ask the peer reviewers to tell the class how 5. What is her first job? What obstacles does she well the articles explained the event. Did it answer all overcome to be successful at her job? How does her their questions about the event or did it bring up initial response to the needs of her community more? Could they base their own opinions on the prepare you for her future achievements? information provided? Did the reading make them 6. Identify Ida’s dreams. Do any of her dreams come want to learn more about the subject? Was the article true? She dreams for herself and her people. What interesting? Did it hold their attention? Why or why are some of your dreams? What dreams do you have not? Did the writer use adjectives to liven up their for your community? Society? The world? stories? Were the articles objective or subjective? 7. What is a lyceum? Why does Wells call the lyceum “a • Have students choose one illustration from Yours for breath of life to me”? Justice, Ida B. Wells. Ask them to write an article based 8. What is Ida’s journalistic nickname? on the images in the picture. Let their imaginations 9. What happens to Tom Moss that changes Ida’s life run wild, but hold them to what they see in the text as and her way of thinking? the basis of their article. Again, make sure that they 10. Besides her writing, Wells also lectures and gives follow journalistic standards; however, remind them speeches. Why are all of these methods of that “just the facts” can often make writing boring. communication important to her activism? Encourage the use of well-selected adjectives and adverbs. CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS • Place students in pairs.