Michelle Duster

Michelle Duster is an author and public historian. She is known for her work to preserve the legacy of her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells.

Early life and education

Michelle Duster was born in Chicago to Maxine Duster and Donald L. Duster. Her father worked for Comed and her mother was an educator and civic leader. In 1985, Duster obtained her B.A. in Psychology from Dartmouth College. She went on to obtain an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School.

Career

Duster has worked to preserve Ida B. Wells' legacy both through written publications and public history projects. She has written one children's book, Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-lynching Civil Rights Leader and one young adult biography, Ida B. The Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy Of Ida B. Wells, about her great-grandmother. She has also edited two anthologies of Wells' writing.

Selected bibliography

Children's literature

• — (2022). Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth. New York City, New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9781250239464.
• — (2021). Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells. New York City, New York: Atria Publishing Group. ISBN 9781982129811.

Anthologies edited

• — (2008). Ida In Her Own Words. Lansing, Illinois: Benjamin Williams Publishing. ISBN 978-0980239812.
• — (2010). Ida From Abroad. Lansing, Illinois: Benjamin Williams Publishing. ISBN 978-0980239898.