Ida B. Wells-Barnett is a sterling example for all incarcerated journalists December 31, 2020 Ida B. Wells-Barnett, born into slavery in Holly Springs, Miss., in 1862, and 31 in this portrait, was a ferocious advocate against anti-Black racism and post-slavery white supremacy, becoming known as “Princess of the Press” for her work with several Black-owned newspapers and her refusal to stay silent. A teacher, freedom fighter and author, Ida resisted slavery and anti-Black racism “not just with her words, but with her teeth.” by Uhuru B. Rowe July 16, 1862. That’s the day Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born in Holly Springs, Miss. Her birth came just 62 days before President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation which ostensibly “freed” enslaved Blacks the following January in the Confederate slaveholding states of the South. Ida and her family were born into bondage.