Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright (c) 2019
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| 2019 MLK program dedicated to Anne Moody |
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NOTE: This tribute was presented at the 32nd Annual Memorial Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019 in Woodville, Miss.
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It is truly an honor to be here today. I want to thank you for the opportunity to share a few words about one of our own, the extraordinary Anne Moody.
Anne Moody was a civil rights pioneer and the noted author of the classic memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi. She played a vital role in the struggle for freedom, civil rights, and justice for all, especially people of color.
When we say that she put her life on the line for freedom, and that she sacrificed her own well-being for others, it is not an exaggeration.
Like many in the civil rights movement, she confronted bigotry head-on. She endured beatings, death threats, and other forms of persecution as she engaged in nonviolent protests in the fight for equal access to places for all people.
Anne Moody was born in 1940; she died in 2015 at the age of 74. She grew up in Centreville and she completed her last year of high school here in Woodville. From here she went to Natchez Junior College, and then to Tougaloo College, where she became active in the civil rights movement.
Moody was only a child when she began to question the indignities of racism and the binding forces of poverty. She watched in amazement as her world grew darker. She lived in a time when the mere mention of the NAACP could result in a lynching. This was life for a black person in the Jim Crow era.
The death of Emmett Till was a turning point in her life. She wrote:
Before Emmett Till's murder, I had known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was a new fear known to me -- the fear of being killed just because I was black. This was the worst of my fears.
Somehow, some time later, she found within herself something that inspired her ... something that moved her to go further in her quest to find answers and the boldness to stand up to the debilitating powers of hate in her surroundings. She wrote: "But courage was growing in me too. Little by little it was getting harder and harder for me not to speak out."
As I close, I want to remind you that Anne Moody was an extraordinary woman.
She was a woman of insight and courage. She had the ability to see and understand her environment, and she had the audacity to do something about it.
She was extraordinary.
She was ambitious, but also focused and compassionate. She wanted to be a doctor, but she chose to suffer for the benefit of her people, people like you and me.
She was extraordinary.
She was down and depressed on occasion, but she was still daring in her efforts to make a difference. She marched with Dr. King and she worked with Medgar Evers. She helped to desegregate and integrate businesses in Jackson and other places. She led campaigns that inspired black people to register and vote.
Anne Moody did what she had to do for freedom, justice and equality for all.
She was an extraordinary woman.
Thank you. Amen.
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Want to know MORE
about Anne Moody?
Visit here to see the timeline
of
important events in her life history!
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For more information:
See the Anne Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., 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, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi
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