Legendary Chicagoan Ida B. Wells awarded Pulitzer Prize special citation

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The board that gives out the Pulitzer Prize has issued a special citation for the late, trailblazing African American journalist Ida B. Wells.

The legendary Chicagoan was honored for "her outstanding and courageous reporting."

Wells was born into slavery in Mississippi in 1862, but made a name for herself as an activist.

As a journalist, she exposed horrific violence against black people during the era of lynching and became a champion of women's suffrage in Chicago.

The prize includes a $50,000 payment to support Wells' Mission.