BRONZEVILLE — Ida B. Wells will be honored this week with a monument on the former site of the housing development that once bore her name.
“Light of Truth,” a sculpture created by Richard Hunt, will be dedicated in special ceremony Wednesday morning at Oakwood Center, 3825 S. Vincennes Ave. Commissioned by the Ida B. Wells Commemorative Committee, the artwork was installed earlier this month on the site of the Chicago Housing Authority’s Ida B. Wells Homes, which were demolished in 2011.
It will be the first monument in the city that honors a Black woman.
It took the group several years to meet the $300,000 fundraising goal for the project, which coincided with other efforts to honor the iconic journalist and activist, including the renaming of Congress Parkway in 2019.
Wells was also the subject of a recent episode of WTTWs “Chicago Stories,” which aired last month. The series explored her connection to Bronzeville.
“On behalf of the Ida B. Wells Family, I want to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to all who served on the Ida B. Wells Commemorative Art Committee to create a public tribute to honor our ancestor,” said Wells’ great-granddaughter Michelle Duster. “My great-grandmother was a national figure who made an indelible impact on the fight for justice in this country.”
Duster’s book, “Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells,” was released in January.
Wells lived in Bronzeville for most of her life, just a few blocks from where the monument now stands.
Those interested in attending Wednesday’s dedication are encouraged to RSVP here. The event begins promptly at 9 a.m.
For more information, contact Anthony Rogers atarogers@granitecos.com or Michelle Duster at mlduster@aol.com.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast” here: