Which African American journalist published statistics about lynching and urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white-owned stores?

• A. Ida B. Wells
• B. Susan B. Anthony
• C. Sanford B. Dole
• D. W. E. B. Du Bois

Answer: (A)

This item tests understanding of how data-driven journalism and economic protest were used to fight lynching in the late 1800s. Ida B. Wells-Barnett collected and published statistics on lynching to show it as a tool of racial terror, not a lawful response to crime. She urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white-owned stores, using economic pressure to challenge white supremacy. Her work, including influential writings like Southern Horrors and The Red Record, connected facts with calls to collective action and helped galvanize early anti-lynching activism. The other figures are known for different roles—suffrage work, Hawaiian political leadership, or broader civil rights leadership—whereas Wells-Barnett is the one who combined data about lynching with a specific boycott strategy.