Description: A resource for social justice and resilience, Wells was a powerful churchwoman and witness for justice and equity from 1878-1931. Born enslaved, her witness flowed through the struggles for justice in her lifetime, especially in the intersections of African Americans, women, and those who were poor. Her life is a profound witness for faith-based work when the forces of injustice stand in opposition to progress.
Brief description:
NIBS STROUPE retired in 2017 as pastor of Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, a nationally recognized leader in multicultural and racial justice ministry. He has written numerous articles for magazines, including The Atlantic online. He has written frequently for Westminster/John Knox's Feasting on the Word series, and is a frequent contributor to Journal for Preachers. He is the author of four books. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Review Quotes:
"In some ways the book feels like the theological equivalent of Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist."
-Rev. Dr. Douglas H. Brown Clark, The Christian Century
"In this hard-hitting yet heartfelt analysis, historians Meeks and Stroupe use Gilded Age reformer Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) as a touchstone for a discussion of 21st century racism. In simple language, Meeks and Stroupe present a cogent, persuasive blueprint for achieving racial justice and equality in America."-Publishers Weekly
"In Passionate for Justice: Ida B. Wells as Prophet for Our Time, Catherine Meeks and Nibs Stroupe embark upon a brave and hopeful mission. Having come by separate life paths, this African-American woman and this white American man seek to stand together upon common ground, the revolutionary witness of an extraordinary, and too-little recalled black journalist and churchwoman. This would be an important book at any time, but it is critical for such a time as this."
-Leonard Pitts, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, novelist and columnist
"Our nation needs this kind of wisdom now more than anything in a time of crisis and national moral failure. The progress of the past 50 years is so fragile. Here are two brave and honest southern voices-one black, one white-drawing wisdom from their own histories in a segregated society, seeking guidance in the words and deeds of a legendary defender of justice."
-Douglas A. Blackmon, winner of the Pulitzer Prize book Slavery By Another Name
"Ida B. Wells was a courageous truth-teller, and so too is this book. As Catherine Meeks and Nibs Stroupe tell the story of Wells, they deftly expose the truth about our nation, which our nation has long avoided-to its peril. This is the prescient truth of racial, gender and class privilege fueling the violence of lynching. Meeks and Stroupe have given us a book for all time. For those who seek the truth of who we are as a nation-Ida B. Wells: A Prophet for Our Time is a must read."
-The Very Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas, Ph.D., Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
"The authors take a unique and daring approach to narrating the life of Ida B. Wells. They draw parallels, lessons, and inspiration from Wells' encounters with injustice to illuminate and better understand their own struggles and encounters with racism and sexism. What makes this book so different from all earlier tributes to Wells is the fact that Meeks (a black woman) and Stroupe (a white man) are able to independently weave threads of insights from nearly a century earlier into accounts of their own very personal journeys. The approach is novel, the challenge is considerable - and the read is well worth it."
-Troy Duster, Chancellor's Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
"'What does it mean to be a liberated person?' We cannot move forward without answering that question and, for Meeks and Stroupe, we cannot answer that question without understanding who Ida B. Wells was, what she accomplished, and how vital her life and activism are to matters of justice in the twenty-first century. In this now of confusion in our nation and around the globe, Ida B. Wells is not among us, but, thanks to Meeks and Stroupe, she is voice, inspiration, courage, and conviction in this most special book!"
-Gloria Wade Gayles, Ph.D., Founding Director, The SIS Oral History Project
and RESONANCE in LEADS, The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Spelman College
"Catherine Meeks and Nibs Stroupe are two excellent writers, historians, and astute cultural observers who have each published numerous books. That they have collaborated to write this book on Ida B. Wells is good news for all of us. Wells is one of our most important forbears whose life offers critical lessons for how to live with courage and determination in this particularly toxic era of a resurgen