Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones​ on Ida B. Wells' impact and legacy

As one of the most prominent journalists in America, Nikole Hannah-Jones has been both admired and scorned. Her work on The 1619 Project for The New York Times Magazine re-framed American history through slavery and the contributions of Black people— an uncomfortable lens for some.

A clue to her unapologetic motivation can be found on Twitter, where her page name reads "Ida Bae Wells. " "From the moment I pulled her autobiography off-the-shelf, I was ... hooked, and to this day, she's kind of my spiritual godmother," Hannah-Jones said of Ida B. Wells, the fearless 19th-century newspaper publisher, suffragist and anti-lynching campaigner who exposed the horrors of lynchings and enlightened those in denial.