The Man Beside the Woman: A Historical Account of the Life and Legacy of Ferdinand L. Barnett Presented at the Ida B. Wells Pre-conference for AEJMC Southeast Colloquium

1. The Man beside the Woman: A HistoricalAccount of the
Life and Legacyof Ferdinand L. Barnett
Danianese Woods
University of Southern Mississippi

2. Historical Account
• The life and work of Ferdinand L. Barnett
• Biographical sketch of early life
• Themes of his work as a journalist
• Personal life as a husband, father and activist

3. Literature Review
• Reconstruction Era (After Civil War)
• Ida B. Wells
• Crusade for Justice
• Unpublished/ published diary
• Ida B. Wells Papers collection (University of
Chicago)
• Black Chicago
• Political
• African American Press

4. Sources/ Research
• Wells Autobiography
• Ida B. Wells Papers collection
• Barnett’s 73 pg. scrapbook containing articles and
memorabilia
• Various newspaper articles
• Alfreda Duster (daughter)
• Interview 1976- Miriam DeCosta -Willis
• Interview 1978- Black Women’s Oral History

5. Early Life
• Parents
• School
• Jones School
• Chicago High
• Union College of Law
• First Marriage
• Accomplishments
• 1st African American assistant state attorney
• Founded 1st African American newspaper in Chicago,
Conservator
• 1st African American candidate to run for municipal judge in
Cook County

6. Racial Elevation
• Educating his audience to become self-
sufficient
• Themes
• Racial Unity
• Cultural and Formal Education
• Financial Stability
• Organizations, Societies, & Clubs
• Political Involvement and Voting Rights

7. Racial Unity
• Speech given at National Conference of African American
men 1879
• Coming together as a race
• Ending Jealousy
• Leaders being examples
• “race elevation can be
attained only through
race unity”

8. Cultural/ Formal Education
• Cultural knowledge -newspapers, announcements,
speeches and word of mouth.
• Formal Education – public schools, colleges, universities
• Hiring African American teachers, mixed school systems

9. Financial Stability
• Money, Wealth
• Employment
• Financial/ Consumer Support
• “Make an investment early in life and labor to
keep it increasing”

10. Organizations, Societies, & Clubs
• Socially elevate the African American race
• Important for African Americans to be educated but
to have articulate speech
• Build character and practice debates

11. Political Involvement
• Legislation was very important to protecting the civil
rights of African Americans
• Women’s Suffrage
• African American vote and the Republican Party

12. The Crusaders
• Married Ida B. Wells in 1895
• Crusade for equal rights and to fight against
discrimination, segregation and injustice of blacks
• Allowed his wife to have a dominate, public role
• One of the few influential African American families in
Chicago
• Afro-American Council, Wells Tours, Cairo Lynching

13. Significance/ Future Research
• “There is such a lack of authentic race history of
Reconstruction times written by the Negro himself,” –
Wells
• 19th-century journalist and lawyer who provided a guiding
voice to emancipated African Americans
• Case study for forgotten 19th century journalists and
editors that contributed to the progression of African
Americans.
• Open up the potential discussion about Barnett’s life