Reading The Red Record as an Intersectional Analysis: The Logic for Canonizing Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s (1862–1931) contributions as a journalist and activist have been documented extensively. However, her contributions to the discipline of sociology have not been fully acknowledged. Moreover, despite the analyses of gender and race in U.S. society that Wells-Barnett presented in her work, she has yet to be formally canonized. The marginalization of Wells-Barnett and her scholarship has implications for the discipline, principally in doctoral programs where the sociological canon is reproduced. Using the framework of Black feminist thought, this paper asserts that the intellectual contributions of Ida B. Wells-Barnett fulfill the criteria to be considered a classical theory. Through an examination of Wells-Barnett’s 1895 book The Red Record , I posit that Wells-Barnett’s scholarship was a precursor to intersectionality, surveying historical context and power as it relates to racialized violence. The paper concludes with suggestions for substantively integrating her scholarship into sociological curricula.