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Primary sourceBook1922

The Story of the Illinois Federation of Colored Women's Clubs

Elizabeth Lindsay Davis · 1922

A 1922 history of a federation of Black women's clubs in Illinois, covering the period from 1900 to 1922.

This history of Illinois clubwomen documents the era and community in which Wells worked, though her inclusion is unconfirmed.

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About this source

What it is

Written by Elizabeth Lindsay Davis and published in 1922, this book tells the history of the Illinois Federation of Colored Women's Clubs between 1900 and 1922. It is held in a scanned form from the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

This book documents the organized efforts of Black women in Illinois during a period that overlaps with Ida B. Wells's activism in Chicago, though the record does not confirm whether Wells is specifically discussed inside. It shows the broader community of women's organizing in which Wells worked.

Look closer

  • Why might records of organizations like this one have been at risk of being lost, as the foreword suggests?
  • What does the existence of this kind of institutional history tell you about how communities preserve their own stories?
  • What might be missing from a history written by and about the organization itself?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ida B. Wells on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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