Journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells made history in Chicago and across the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, Michelle Duster, Wells’ great-granddaughter, the author of Ida B. the Queen, and a writing tutor at Wright College, is helping to keep her legacy alive.

“Ida B. Wells influenced America by using truth as a weapon,” Duster said during a recent episode of WBEZ’s Making podcast.

Throughout the podcast, Duster’s first-hand knowledge, combined with years of research and writing, helps to share the story of her iconic relative. And like her great-grandmother, Duster is prolific writer herself whose work is critically acclaimed. In January 2021, she released the book Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells, which received an enthusiastic response.

In addition to her own writing, Duster has served as a tutor in the Writing Center at Wright College since 2016, where she helps others express themselves through the written word. For those who aspire to write, Duster encourages them to persist—a value characteristic of her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells.

To listen to the full episode of Michelle Duster on WBEZ’s Making podcast, click here.