Descendants of iconic African American Chicago figures, like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Fred Hampton, often struggle to manage the stories of their famous relatives
Her name is now emblazoned on a major downtown thoroughfare, attached to a nationally recognized journalism training program and even used by a soul food restaurant in Baltimore.
For decades, crusading journalist, civil rights activist and women’s rights pioneer Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s legacy and story lingered in the shadows of history. But in recent years, as historians, activists and scholars brought her story to light and a new generation embraced her, that obscurity has lifted.
Now, her descendants find themselves grappling with how to control her image and her name to ensure that projects in her honor properly salute her. The families of civil rights icons Emmett Till and Fred Hampton are facing similar issues, as they work to both promote and protect the names of their forebears.
Read more at The Chicago Tribune.