Brief Biography
Michelle Duster is an author, speaker, public historian, professor, and champion of racial and gender equity. She has written, edited, or contributed to several dozen articles and over 20 books. Her most recent, released January 4, 2022, is IDA B WELLS, VOICE OF TRUTH (Henry Holt & Co). And a year before, her book IDA B THE QUEEN: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF IDA B WE.LLS was published (Atria/One Signal Publishers)
She also co-wrote the popular children’s history book, Tate and His Historic Dream; co-edited Impact: Personal Portraits of Activism; Shifts: An Anthology of Women's Growth Through Change; Michelle Obama’s Impact on African American Women and Girls; and edited two books that include the writings of her paternal great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells. She has contributed to several anthologies and written articles for Ms. Magazine,TIME, Essence, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, The Hill, Daily Beast, and The North Star. She also was involved in the development of the Ida B. Wells doll, released January 2022, which is part of Mattel's Inspiring Women Barbie doll series. She has appeared on television programs on MSNBC, CNN, WTTW, CBS & CW as well as numerous radio shows. Her advocacy has led to multiple public history projects that include street names, monuments, historical markers, murals, and documentary films that highlight women and African Americans, including Wells.
Her many awards include the 2022 Ripple Effect Award from Public Narratives, 2019 Multi-Generational Activist Award from the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award from Dartmouth College.
She is a native Chicagoan who earned her B.A. in Psychology from Dartmouth College, and M.A. in Media Studies from The New School in New York City. She also completed MFA coursework in film and video production at Columbia College Chicago, As a creative outlet, Michelle makes beaded jewelry.
Public History Projects
Ida B. Wells Doll - Mattel (2022)
On the Wings of Change (mural of 10 Chicago-area suffragists) - Chicago, IL (2021)
Light of Truth, Ida B. Wells National Monument - Chicago, IL (2021)
Ida B. Wells Way - Chicago, IL (2019)
Ida B. Wells Homes Historical Marker - Chicago, IL (2019)
Ida B. Wells Drive - Chicago, IL (2018)
Founder's Garden - Holly Springs, MS (2013)
Historical Marker for Jim and Elizabeth Wells - Holly Springs, MS (2011)
ASALH Film Festival (2012-2018) - various cities
A Question of Color - documentary film by Kathe Sandler (1993)
Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice - documentary film by William Greaves (1989)
Documentary Film Appearances
The Light of Truth: A Monument for Ida B. Wells, Rana Segal, release TBD
Sankofa Chicago, Vanessa Wright, 2022
Facing Down Storms: Memphis and the Making of Ida B. Wells, University of Memphis, 2022
Ida B. Wells: A Chicago Stories Special Documentary, WTTW, 2021
BOSS: The Black Experience in Business Firelight Media, 2019
Voiceovers for Films and Podcasts
We Have Just Begun (about 1919 Elaine, AR race massacre), Michael Warren Wilson, 2022
"The Daily": Women We Overlooked (segment on Ida B. Wells), New York Times, 2018
Projects in the Works
Speak Up (mural to celebrate women's political achievement) - Chicago, IL
Women's Suffrage National Monument, Washington, DC