Incarcerated man draws iconic photo of Anne Moody at Woolworth’s lunch counter

By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
Chaplain, Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

#AnneMoody

Anthony D. Wilson displays his pencil drawing of the famous 1963 Woolworth's sit-in.

WOODVILLE, Miss. -- Anthony D. Wilson, who is incarcerated at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF), Woodville, recently drew the famous photo of the Woolworth’s sit-in that features civil rights pioneer Anne Moody. The image, which was done in pencil, depicts the famous protest that occurred at the lunch counter on May 28, 1963 in Jackson, Miss.

In the photo, Moody and her fellow civil rights activists are violently harassed by a mob, some of whom poured sugar, ketchup and mustard on the heads of the activists. The original photo was taken by Fred Blackwell of the Jackson Daily News. His photo was later distributed by The Associated Press.

Wilson said he was happy to have the opportunity to draw the photo, which he said took him about 23 hours during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.

“This means a lot to me,” he said. “Moody was like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. She made it so blacks can go into the restaurants and other places without discrimination.”

Moody is the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi. She is seen sitting at the lunch counter with her Tougaloo College classmate, Joan Trumpauer, and Professor John Salter Jr. Salter, who was later known as John Hunter Gray, died Jan. 7 at his home in Pocatello, Idaho. He was 84. Moody died in 2015 at the age of 74. Trumpauer, the only one left from the photo, is 77 and lives in Arlington, Va.

Wilson, 31, is originally from Montgomery, Ala. He said he’s been drawing since the age of nine. He plans to enter his work into an art contest held at the facility.

WCCF is privately managed by Management & Training Corporation (MTC) of Utah.

Drawing by Anthony D. Wilson

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“This means a lot to me. Moody was like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. She made it so blacks can go into the restaurants and other places without discrimination.” -- Anthony D. Wilson

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Would you like 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 BarnesIII 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