Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Feb 20, 2024 | 2:28 p.m.
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| Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez. He will discuss Anne Moody and her memoir, "Coming of Age in Mississippi," at the Feb. 27 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. |
NATCHEZ, Miss. — Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez, will talk about civil rights pioneer Anne Moody and her memoir at the Tuesday, Feb. 27, meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. The meeting will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and Barnes’ presentation at 6 p.m., at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St.
The event is free to the public. All are welcome, members
and non-members alike.
Barnes’ presentation is titled, “Anne Moody’s Coming of
Age in Mississippi: Why It Matters.” His talk will show that while Anne Moody
has not received the recognition she deserves, her memoir remains a significant
contribution to Mississippi history and has critical implications for race
relations, voting rights, human rights, and equality in today’s society.
“Anne Moody’s astonishing life history is one of a girl
who found grace and courage in the midst of poverty, bigotry and
discrimination,” said Barnes. “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.”
In addition to being a civil rights activist, Moody was the author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi,” a gripping memoir that has remained in print since the day it was first published in December 1968, according to Barnes.
Moody 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 Anne had dementia for several years.
While referencing her book, Barnes noted Moody’s
sacrifice and many accomplishments in the 1960s. He said that she participated
in peaceful protests, marches, and sit-ins in an effort to desegregate
businesses, churches, and public facilities. Despite the dangers at the time,
she worked with several civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, CORE,
and SNCC, according to Barnes. He said that she also participated in voter
registration drives for Freedom Summer in 1964.
“Anne Moody and her book matter to us, and they matter in
many significant ways,” said Barnes. “I look forward to talking about the
impact of her life history and her literary contribution to American history.”
Barnes is the founding chairman of the Anne Moody History
Project, a public history endeavor started in 2017 at Wilkinson County
Correctional Facility, Woodville, to promote the legacy of Anne Moody and her
book. Barnes writes about Moody at RoscoeReporting.blogspot.com. His work on
Moody has resulted in national press coverage and citations in peer-reviewed
journals.
Barnes is a member of the boards of directors of both the
Mississippi Historical Society and the Natchez Historical Society. He holds a
Ph.D. in Church History and Church Polity from the University of Pretoria,
South Africa, and a Master of Arts in Religion from the Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Gettysburg. He earned his Bachelor of Science from East Coast Bible
College, Charlotte, North Carolina.
In addition to being an independent scholar whose
research focuses on Moody, F.F. Bosworth, and Ernest Hemingway, Barnes is an
award-winning newspaper journalist. He is the author of multiple books,
including “F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind ‘Christ the Healer’” (Cambridge
Scholars Publishing, 2009) and “Off to War: Franklin Countians in World War II”
(White Mane Publishing, 1996).
Barnes’ articles have appeared in scores of newspapers,
magazines, and academic journals, including Corrections Today, Good Grit
Magazine, American Jails, The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological
Association, The Arkansas Review, Africa Journal of Pentecostal Studies, The
Pneuma Review, Natchez Magazine, and Refleks Journal.
Barnes’ work is also published in Brill’s Encyclopedia of
Global Pentecostalism (Brill, 2021) and by the online encyclopedia,
BlackPast.org. His forthcoming articles will appear in the Mississippi
Encyclopedia and the Dictionary of Pentecostal Mission.
This Feb. 27 program held by the historical society is
funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through
funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org, call 601-492-3004 or send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org
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