Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Michelle Duster

Michelle Duster is an educator, public historian, and activist whose advocacy has led to street names, monuments, historical markers, and other public history projects that add to the representation of African Americans and women. She is the author of several books including Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells and Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth about her paternal great-grandmother.

Stories from this author

Portrait of Ida B. Wells from the waist up in 3/4th profile.

New Coin Celebrates the Living Legacy of Ida B. Wells

Hear from author Michelle Duster about her great-grandmother Ida B. Wells’ lifelong fight for equality. Writer and activist Ida B. Wells was selected to appear on a new quarter as part of the 2025 American Women Quarters Program with the U.S. Mint.