Ida B. Wells believed fervently in economic boycotts as a way of dealing with white racism and racial discrimination. She was of the opinion that the one thing that white capitalists understood was money and if African Americans created a situation where the white capitalists threatened to loose money they would make necessary adjustments. What she meant is that if African Americans who were the industrial backbone of the south decided to no longer cater to white stores then these white store owners who had quite a bit of political clout would lose their influence to keep the more racist southern elements at bay and create a more peaceful living environment for the races. They would eradicate white racism and discrimination if it were costing them money.
This was placed on the table after the lynching of her three friends. In this situation African Americans can do two things. If they stayed they could boycott white stores to create a better environment. Since they were the backbone of the industrial south, they could always leave, take their collective power with them and white capitalist would also feel the impact because the African Americans represented not only labor but also consumers. If they were to leave, what would happen? These capitalists would do all in their power to cool down the more racists southern white elements. They would do all in their power to create an environment where all races could peacefully coexist. Then the African Americans would return south to their rightful homes and would be returning under much better circumstances then they left. She also believed in economic sanctions as a way of protest. Wells traveled abroad and tried to get the British to not invest in the southern states. If the British were to invest, that improves the economic situation for whites. She urged them not to invest in the south until white racism and racial discrimination was removed from the south.
Although she may have best been known for her anti-lynching movement she was certainly bigger than the anti lynching movement, she was also involved in the settlement house movement. During WW1, there was a large number of African Americans migrating from the south to the north. What the settlement house did was try to make life as pleasant as possible, particularly for a number of African American women who were relocating. The movement provided food, clothing, shelter, and jobs. Many of the women also needed daycare for their children. Booker T. Washington, as a way of curtailing the influence of Wells and the conservator newspaper with her husband, would throw his weight behind the founding of the national urban league which would have more resources to do what the settlement house movement but to do things beyond what it was doing. He would make certain that Wells would not have a leadership role in the local Chicago chapter of the urban league. She blamed W.E.B. Dubois that she did not get the presidency of the local branch of the NAACP.