Iola Volume 1, Issue 1

Ida B. Wells-Barnett's birth in 1862, during the Civil War, can be viewed as a prophetic sign of her potential for black leadership. Using her pen name, "Iola," she was one of the earliest black female journalists to challenge blacks' socioeconomic and political disenfranchisement. From this vantage point, she became a one-woman anti-lynching crusader, a role which led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.). This journal honors her name and contributions to black history.