By Roscoe Barnes III,
Ph.D.
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright© 2017
(Updated 6/30/17)
I recently shared this document on a couple of my academic
web pages, including Figshare.com (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5165725.v1 )
#AnneMoody
Anne Moody was a civil rights pioneer
and the noted author of
Coming of Age in Mississippi
1964 – On February 28, her uncle, Clifton Walker, is
reportedly murdered by a white mob on East Poor House Road, which is located a
few miles north of Woodville. Walker was the brother of Emma, the second wife
of Anne’s dad, Fred Moody.
She works for the Congress on Racial
Equality (CORE) in the town of Canton, Miss., during what is called
“Freedom Summer.” In June, she meets with Michael
Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, all members of CORE, one week before they go missing and are
later found dead, having been murdered by the local Klansmen. June 21, the day
they went missing, is reported as the date of their deaths.
She graduates from Tougaloo College with a B.S. degree. She leaves the
state of Mississippi. She speaks at United Auto Workers (UAW) convention in
Atlantic City and becomes a popular speaker. She meets famous baseball player
Jackie Robinson, who encourages her to write a book about her experiences. On August
4, the bodies of Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney are found in a dam near Philadelphia,
Miss. Between August and December, she assists Jackie Robinson with his
fundraising efforts to build the Chaney-Goodman‐Schwerner
Memorial Center.
She works as civil rights project coordinator for Cornell University’s
School of Labor Relations until 1967.
1965 – She begins writing Coming of Age in Mississippi following
encouragement from Jackie Robinson.
1966 – She
meets Austin Straus, a white Jewish poet and a graduate student at New York
University (NYU), and falls in love. They live together for one year.
1967 – She
marries Austin Straus on March
9. She becomes a counselor for New York City’s poverty program. She
completes the book, Coming of Age in Mississippi.
1968 – Her
book, Coming of Age in Mississippi,
is published by Dial. The book is described as an “autobiography of growing up
poor and black in the rural south.” It is released in December. The hardcover
edition features a photograph of her taken by her husband. The photograph
appears on the back cover of the book.
1969
– She travels the country promoting Coming of Age in Mississippi. She
appears on numerous TV shows. On April 3, she appears on The Merv Griffin Show.
By August, she is exhausted. Coming of
Age in Mississippi receives the Brotherhood Award from the National Council
of Christians and Jews, and the Best Book of the Year Award from the National
Library Association. She is published in Mademoiselle in January. Her article
notes her frustration with the civil rights movement.
1970 -- Coming of Age
in Mississippi is published in
Germany by Fischer-Verlag. Heinrich Ball, a Nobel prize-winner, writes the
Foreword. He and his wife translate the book, and it soon becomes a bestseller
in Germany. Anne is honored with a silver medal from Mademoiselle. The recognition is part of the magazine’s “New Hopes
for the Seventies: 25 to Watch” feature.
1971 – Her
son, Sasha Strauss, is born.
1972 – She
and her family move to Berlin, where they live until 1974. She receives a
German Academic Exchange Service grant – a full-time scholarship from the city
of Berlin and a large house. She works as an artist-in-residence in Berlin.
1973 – Her
friend in the movement, George Raymond Jr., dies of a heart attack on March 8
at the age of 30 in New Orleans. Raymond was a Freedom Rider and CORE leader.
1974 – She
returns to the United States. She learns of a friend, Chinn, being convicted of
murder and serving time at Parchman. She returns to Mississippi.
1975 – Her
book, Mr. Death: Four Stories, is
published by Harper & Row; (1st edition).
1976 – She
returns to Mississippi for the second time because her mother is dying. She
begins work on a sequel to Coming of Age
in Mississippi, titled, Farewell to
Too Sweet. Her mother, Too
Sweet, dies.
1977 – She and her husband
are divorced after 10 years of marriage.
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Author’s Note:
Questions about the Anne
Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going
work of this community service project, please follow AMHP on Twitter
(@AnneMoodyHP). Ideas and suggestions are also welcomed.
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