Dahleen Glanton: A monument to civil rights crusader Ida B. Wells is long overdue

For decades, Chicagoans have pondered how to reverse the poverty and disenfranchisement that contribute heavily to the cycle of violence in African-American neighborhoods.

Perhaps we have had the answer all along. Ida B. Wells, the Chicago journalist and anti-lynching crusader, left a blueprint for empowering black people to make positive changes in their own communities when others turn their backs.

It says that African-Americans must be their own advocates for change.

For decades, her message has been misplaced. Wells' name, her contributions to Chicago and the invaluable lessons from