Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Wells dedicated her career to combating prejudice and violence, and advocating for African-American equality—especially that of women. Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. At the age of 16, she lost both her parents and her infant brother in the 1878 yellow fever epidemic.