Mississippi's history is full of strong African American women who took a stand against racism, injustice and segregation, or opened the path for others to realize the American dream. Ida B. Wells, Ruby Bridges, and Oprah Winfrey each fought for equality for African Americans in different ways and at different time periods, but each had a major impact on Mississippi and elsewhere in the United States. Ida B. Wells was born in Holy Springs, Mississippi, on July 16, 1862. Ida was born into slavery. Ida's father served on the board of trustees at Rust College, so he made education a priority for his 7 children. Ida attended school early but had to leave at the age of 16, when tragedy struck her family. Both her parents and a brother died in a yellow fever epidemic, so Ida had to care for her younger siblings. Ida was a very strong African American woman and formed the National Association of Colored Women in 1896. Ida B. Wells should be remembered as an African American woman who fought both racism and sexism at a time when it was extremely dangerous to speak out openly. He used his gift of writing, speaking and organizing to help shed light on injustice. She was extremely courageous and remained true to her beliefs despite being criticized, ostracized and marginalized by her contemporaries. Ida was a fighter who fought against prejudice, regardless of the potential dangers she faced. Ida had married Ferdinand Barnett in 1898 and was known as Ida B. Wells-Barnett. On March 25, 1931, Ida B. Wells died of kidney disease at the age of 69. Ida was a great writer and left behind some great speeches and protests. Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954 in Tylertown, Mississippi. She was the first…middle of paper…she also starred in one of my favorite movies of all time, The Color Purple, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Oprah earns so much money that she has earned over 51,000,000 for charity programs. And send the money to girls' education in South Africa and to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Ida B. Wells became a spokesperson for the fight against lynching; Ruby Bridges addressed segregation in schools; Oprah Winfrey upended the pro-white, pro-male entertainment industry. All three of these women go beyond being heroes. They are African American communities; they also go beyond being Mississippi heroines. They are American heroines. Thanks to their efforts, lynchings in Mississippi and the South were dramatically reduced, schools in Louisiana were desegregated, and the world learned about a powerful and generous African American and multibillionaire..