Wells got involved with the suffrage movement, believing Black women’s ability to vote was a key part of advancing civil rights. She traveled widely, speaking to large audiences about how Black women’s right to vote would help Black communities and arguing for federal anti-lynching legislation. She also joined the women’s suffrage movement alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. However, she later split from the white women’s suffrage movement over racism within the movement and the unwillingness of many to support Black male suffrage. After the passage of the 19th Amendment, she worked at voter registration drives, helping Black women register in the face of racist violence.