"The South is brutalized to a degree not realized by its own inhabitants, and the very foundation of government, law and order, are imperilled"

Ida B. Wells was an African American reporter and civil rights activist who composed this quote in the late 19th century. She was describing the overbearing and violent conditions that African Americans underwent in the South. She was highlighting the fact that the South was a location of brutality and injustice, and that the government was stopping working to secure its people. She was likewise cautioning that if the federal government did not do something about it to protect African Americans, then the very foundations of order would be threatened. Her words were a call to action for the government to take actions to secure African Americans and to guarantee that justice was served. Her words still resonate today, as we continue to defend racial justice and equality.