Author: Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Publisher & Date: Read & Co. History, 24 Jun 2021
Page Count: 125 pages
ISBN: 978-1528719162
Age/Reading Level: 13+/Grade 8+
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Book Information
In “The Red Record,” Ida B. Wells-Barnett meticulously compiles a harrowing chronicle of lynching in America, utilizing an amalgamation of statistical data, personal accounts, and passionate prose. This seminal work, published in 1895, serves not only as a historical documentation but also as a fervent call to action against racial violence. Wells-Barnett employs a clear, persuasive literary style, deftly navigating the complexities of racial injustice while shedding light on the life stories often overlooked by mainstream narratives. The book emerges from the tumultuous context of post-Reconstruction America, where systemic racism and mob violence pervaded society, challenging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about their nation’s legacy.
In the post-civil war American south, the despicable act of lynching was commonplace and considered to be a form of vigilantism that was used to murder African Americans for alleged “crimes” ranging from acting suspiciously to “insulting whites”. In “The Red Record”, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett records statistics concerning instances of lynching and offers vivid descriptions of the extrajudicial killings in an attempt to galvanize the public into action and put an end to such horrifying practices.
Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (1862–1931) was an American educator, investigative journalist, and leading figure of the civil rights movement. Having been born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Wells was freed in 1862 during the American Civil War by the Emancipation Proclamation. From then on she dedicated her life as a free woman to fighting prejudice and violence, co-founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and becoming the most famous African American of her time.
Challenges & Bans
Though no current challenges or bans have been brought against this title, there were many at the time of it’s original publication. The primary challenges came from Southern whites who sought to maintain the existing racial hierarchy and practices established at the time. The publication of this book brought attention to and exposed the Southern practice to greater national, even international, criticism and critique as it directly contradicted the common narratives used to excuse and justify the practice of lynching. The existence of this book presented evidence that demonstrated that lynching was not a response to crime, but rather a systematic method of instilling fear and controlling the Black population. It also exposed truths about the racialized nature of the justice system in the South by highlighting the lack of prosecution for those who committed lynchings, by which the system failed to provide Black citizens any sense of protection or justice.
Awards & Accolades
Though this book itself did not win any awards, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for her anti-lynching journalism.
