Anne Moody: A Woman of Courage

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody

Anne Moody in 1969. 

Credit Jack Schrier

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Anne Moody was 14 when she heard about the death of Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi on Aug. 28, 1955 at the age of 14. He had been accused of whistling at a white woman. The horrific event became a turning point in Anne's life. It shook her to her core and filled her with fear and anger.

"Before Emmett Till's murder, I had known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil," she wrote. "But now there was a new fear known to me -- the fear of being killed just because I was black."

She would later write, "I was fifteen years old when I began to hate people." She hated the white people who murdered Till and other blacks, and she "hated Negroes" because she felt they did nothing about the murders. She eventually took matters in her own hands and became a pioneer of the civil rights movement.

Anne wrote about her experiences in Coming of Age in Mississippi. The book is a riveting, gut-wrenching narrative of her life growing up poor and black in the segregated south during the Jim Crow era. The shocking death of Till is one of several that she recounts in the book.

Classic Autobiography

The book, which was first published in December 1968, continues to be required reading in schools and universities across the United States. It has remained in print since the day it was first published. This year, 2018, will be its 50th anniversary. Remarkably, the book continues to receive rave reviews. For example:

“Coming of Age was a big deal when it came out, and it’s still a big deal now, nearly fifty years later. It is read in literature and history classes in high schools, colleges and universities throughout the country, indeed, around the world. It is one of those rare sorts of books that has never gone out of print. It is a modern-day classic.” -- M. J. O’Brien, author of We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In and the Movement It Inspired

“Her book, ‘Coming of Age in Mississippi,' guarantees her immortality. But more than that, we shall always remember a brave, a plucky and committed human being who, despite the many and various vicissitudes, continued toward the Sun.” – John Salter Jr., Tougaloo professor, in The Clarion-Ledger (Feb. 7, 2015)

In addition to being known for the success of her book, Anne is remembered as the black girl in the famous photo of the Woolworth's sit-in demonstration on May 28, 1963.

Anne's narrative, as can be seen in her book, is a story about a girl with dreams, curiosity, and determination. It is also about a strong woman of courage. "She was a brave soldier," her brother, Fred, once said.

Born in Mississippi

Anne was born as Essie Mae Moody on Sept. 15, 1940, in the small rural town of Centreville, Miss. The town is located in the southwest part of the state, just above the Louisiana state line. According to her book, her name was officially changed from “Essie Mae Moody” to “Annie Moody” in 1954 because of an error on her birth certificate.

Anne's parents were Fred Moody Sr. and Elmira “Too Sweet” Williams Moody, who lived for a while on a plantation where they worked as sharecroppers. Fred left her mother for another woman, according to Anne. After some time, Elmira met and married Leroy Jefferson Sr. (He is called Raymond in Anne's book). Anne was the oldest of 10 children. Her siblings include Adline Moody, Fred Moody Jr., Kenneth Jefferson, Ralph Jefferson, James Jefferson, Vallery Jefferson, Frances Jefferson, Virginia Gibson, and Leroy Jefferson Jr.

At the age of 17, Anne moved to Woodville, where she attended Johnson High School, a historically black school where she excelled in sports and in other areas. After graduating in 1959, the same year the school closed, she went to Natchez College in Natchez, Miss. Upon graduation, she became a student at Tougaloo College. It was at Tougaloo in the early 1960s that she became involved with the civil rights movement. She completed her studies at Tougaloo and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1964.

Anne’s astonishing life history is one of a girl who found grace and courage in the midst of poverty, bigotry and discrimination. She overcame the devastating forces of racism, suffered beatings and endured multiple incarcerations and even death threats in order to help make the world – and the state of Mississippi – a better place to live.

Church Bombing in Birmingham

On Sept. 15, 1963 -- Anne's birthday -- a tragedy occurred that rattled her faith in  God and her belief in the nonviolent demonstrations. A bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Four girls died and over 20 people suffered injuries from the explosion. In Coming of Age, Anne recalled the moment she heard the news:

"We were all eating and listening to the radio when the music stopped abruptly in the middle of a record. 'A special news bulletin just in from Birmingham,' the DJ was saying. A church was just bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. It is believed that several Sunday school students were killed.'"

As the announcer shared more details on the bombing, Anne and those with her began weeping. Anne recounted:

"I put my hand up to my face. Tears were pouring out of my eyes, and I hadn't even known I was crying.

"'Why! Why! Why! Oh, God, why? Why us? Why us?' I found myself asking."

The event would have a lasting impact on  Anne's life.

Historic Campaigns

Although Anne became famous as a noted author of Mississippi history, she gained international recognition as an active participant in non-violent protests for freedom, justice and the civil rights of all people. She had planned to become a doctor, but she sacrificed her career plans in order to help others in the struggle for civil rights. Anne worked with such organizations as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Anne participated in numerous historic non-violent campaigns, including the March on Washington in 1963 and the Freedom Summer voter registration project in 1964 in Canton, Mississippi.

When the topic of civil rights is discussed, people often hear the familiar names of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, etc. But what many fail to realize is that Anne was there with some of the leaders on the front lines of the battle. For instance, she worked with Medgar Evers in the struggle to end segregation in public facilities. She was with civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney, one week before they went missing in Philadelphia, Miss.

In 1964, Anne spoke at the United Auto Workers (UAW) convention in Atlantic City and immediately became widely known as a powerful speaker. She raised thousands of dollars for the movement.

Book is Born

When Jackie Robinson heard her speak, he encouraged her to write her story in a book, the book that would become Coming of Age in Mississippi. She also joined forces with Robinson to raise money for a memorial honoring Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney.

Anne began writing her book in 1965. In 1966, she met graduate student Austin Straus, and fell in love. Straus was white and Jewish. In 1967, they married.

When Anne’s book was released by Dial Press on Dec. 3, 1968, she became an instant celebrity. She travelled the country giving talks and doing interviews. She appeared on national TV talk shows, including the Merv Griffin Show on April 3, 1969.

One of the first reviews written for her book came from Senator Edward Kennedy. He wrote:

“A history of our time, seen from the bottom up, through the eyes of someone who decided for herself that things had to be changed…. A timely reminder that we cannot now relax.” – The New York Times Book Review

In 1969, Anne and Austin moved to Europe where she would eventually spend about 10 years. Their son, Sasha, was born in 1971.

During the early 1970s, Anne's acclaim as a writer continued to grow. In addition to winning an award for her work in Mademoiselle, her book, Coming of Age, became a bestseller in Germany and other parts of Europe. In 1975, she saw the publication of her  book, Mr. Death: Four Stories (Harper & Row). In a 1985 interview with Debra Spencer, she reported having a total of nine unpublished manuscripts. Unfortunately, none of the manuscripts was ever published.

In 1977, Anne's marriage to Austin ended.

Farewell to Anne

For a number of years, Anne reportedly suffered from a  mental illness and moved from place to place. She became a recluse. Her final years proved to be anything but easy. M.J. O'Brien, author of We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In and the Movement It Inspired, described that emotional period in a 2015 blog post:

"After the blaze of glory that characterized her early success as a writer, Moody’s later life was a sad affair. She had bouts of instability and financial difficulties. Her marriage to a New York poet soured after a decade, though the son she bore from that relationship stayed true to her to the end. She seemed always in need of a place to stay."

Anne died on Feb. 5, 2015, at her home in Gloster, Miss. at the age of 74. She had been under the care of her sister, Adline, who told the press that she had dementia for several years. Adline said she stopped eating two days before she died in her sleep.

Anne’s remains were cremated on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. Arrangements were entrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Clinton, La. Her memorial service was held Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, at the Homochitto Association Development Center (HADC) in Gloster.

Anne has been quoted as saying she initially did not consider herself a writer; she instead thought of herself as an activist, a civil rights worker. Even so, her contributions as both a writer and worker are significant factors in the nation's history.

Because her enduring legacy as a historical figure, one can say with clarity that she had the courage to fight racism and misfortune -- and then write about her experiences -- all in the interest of making Mississippi and the United States a better place to live.

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To learn more about Anne Moody, visit here. For more information, contact Roscoe Barnes III via email at roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com or doctorbarnes3@gmail.com. You may also follow him on Twitter: @roscoebarnes3 and @AnneMoodyHP