“Lynch Law In All Its Phases”

Ida B Wells' Speech in The Wake of the Tyre Nichols Lynching

Photo by Tamara Gore on Unsplash

Ida B Wells spoke out about lynchings in America, enough so that white suffragettes diminished her role in securing the right for women to vote. Reading this speech will give you context regarding the threat Black men and women face in America. Tyre Nichols was lynched in 2023 by Black men carrying out the tradition of the police force. Read what Ida B. Wells had to say in the year 1900.

“The following table shows the number of black men lynched from January 1, 1882, to January 1, 1892: In 1882,52; 1883,39; 1884,53; 1885, 77; 1886, 73; 1887, 70; 1888, 72; 1889, 95; 1890, 100; 1891, 169. Of these 728 black men who were murdered, 269 were charged with rape, 253 with murder, 44 with robbery, 37 with incendiarism, 32 with reasons unstated (it was not necessary to have a reason), 27 with race prejudice, 13 with quarreling with white men, 10 with making threats, 7 with rioting, 5 with miscegenation, 4 with burglary.”

“I am before the American people today throu…