By Roscoe Barnes III
Chaplain, Wilkinson County Correctional Facility
#AnneMoody
#MTCchangesLives
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Kathleen Barnett (foreground), collections manager for
the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), examines a
collection of newspapers presented by the Anne Moody History Project (AMHP) of
Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF). She is joined by Laura Anne
Heller, acquisitions and collections coordinator; Nan Prince, director of
collections for the museum division; and Candace Thomas, collections manager. Chaplain
Roscoe Barnes III, left, is speaking about the collection.
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WOODVILLE, Miss. -- Representatives of the
Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) recently visited
Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF) to learn more about the
facility’s Anne Moody History Project (AMHP) and to collect multiple items on
the history of Anne Moody.
Moody
was a civil rights pioneer and the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi.
Nan
Prince, director of collections for the museum division at MDAH, said she was
impressed by the enthusiasm shown by WCCF staff. "I love seeing
the passion displayed by everyone working on the Anne Moody History
Project, and we are excited to be able to add an Anne Moody street sign to our
artifact collection,” she said. “The fact that this type of community
engagement is coming out of a correctional facility is fascinating!"
In
addition to Prince, MDAH guests included Laura Anne Heller, acquisitions and
collections coordinator for the archives and records services division. They
were joined by Candace Thomas and Kathleen Barnett, collection managers for the
museum division.
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Mississippi museum
officials discuss Anne Moody history and artifacts. From left are: Laura Anne
Heller and Nan Prince of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH);
Ruby Dixon, Emma Taplin, and LaVern Taylor of the Anne Moody History Project (AMHP).
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“Our
visit to meet Roscoe Barnes and the Anne Moody History Project team at the
Wilkinson County Correctional Facility was an experience like none other I've
ever had,” said Heller. “All were very welcoming and everyone is passionate
about honoring Anne Moody's accomplishments, especially in the communities
where she spent her formative youth.”
Heller
said she was “impressed by the programs with the inmates, including reading Coming of Age in Mississippi, expression
and interpretation through artwork, and the desire to share about her life with
local museums, public libraries, and school systems.”
AMHP
is a community service endeavor created by WCCF staff in 2017. Its mission is
to promote and help preserve Moody’s legacy. Its members include Roscoe Barnes
III, who holds a doctorate in church history, Ruby Dixon, LaVern Taylor, and
Emma Taplin. The members discussed their on-going work with the MDAH guests.
They presented artifacts, portraits and documents in a display that was
arranged by Aaron Greenlee, who is incarcerated at WCCF.
Deputy
Warden of Programs Tonya Toomey said she felt privileged to participate in the
meeting and to be a part of history: “I felt honored to meet all of them and
I’m looking forward to others having the opportunity to view these artifacts at
their museum.”
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Deputy Warden of Programs Tonya Toomey (center) is
pictured here with representatives of the Mississippi Department of Archives
and History (MDAH). From left are Candace Thomas and Kathleen Barnett, both
collections manager; Nan Prince, director of collections for the museum
division, and Laura Anne Heller, acquisitions and collections coordinator for
the archives and records services division.
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The
prison donated several items to MDAH, which included an Anne Moody Street sign,
a proclamation for Anne Moody Day and a resolution for Anne Moody Street, both
in Centreville, Miss., and a resolution for renaming a portion of Highway 24,
the Anne Moody Memorial Highway. The donation included a resolution honoring
Moody that was presented last year by Sen. Tammy Witherspoon, as well as
newspapers that provided coverage on Moody-related news and events.
“It
was a pleasure to receive as a donation 15 newspapers which document the
publicity of the signed Resolution for Anne Moody Day and the Proclamation
renaming Fort Street as Anne Moody Street,” said Heller. “Additionally,
these official documents are part of this donation to the Archives and
Records Services Division of Mississippi Department of Archives and
History. These newspapers and documents will be available for researchers in
the archival reading room to study.”
The
museum officials plan to return to the facility to review artwork on Moody that
is being done by the men incarcerated at WCCF.
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Aaron Greenlee, who has a
background in interior
decoration, organizes Anne Moody display for Mississippi
museum officials.
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AMHP members said they were ecstatic about the MDAH visit.
“I
think the overall program was a success, “said Dixon. “It was interesting from
the time I walked in. Everybody was interacting with love and what I think Anne
Moody would stand for. It was one of the best ones we’ve had.”
“I
truly enjoyed the visit,” added Taplin. “It is an honor to know that the work
the AMHP has done will be recognized and preserved in the Civil Rights Museum
for anyone interested in doing future projects.”
For
Taylor, it was an emotional experience. “I
have an emotional truth (what the heart says) about the facts of what we stand
for in the new movement of Ms. Anne Moody,” she explained. “It is so real how
we have motivated people and ourselves. I used to wonder why people
should believe in us. After the meeting with our visitors (our friends) with
MDAH, I have found the secret to the success of the AMHP Team, and it is sharing.”
Branton
Lewis, education supervisor for WCCF, said he was moved by the event. He noted:
“From the unveiling of the Anne Moody Street sign to the meeting with the
Museum visitors, I am overwhelmed by it all. We all are part of history
in some form of fashion, however, this has me at another level.”
WCCF
is operated by Management & Training Corporation (MTC) for the Mississippi
Department of Corrections (MDOC).
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Representatives of the Mississippi Department of Archives
and History (MDAH) met recently with members of the Anne Moody History Project
at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF) in Woodville, Miss. Pictured
from left are Lavern Taylor and Emma Taplin, both AMHP members; Candace Thomas,
Kathleen Barnett, Nan Prince and Laura Anne Heller, all of MDAH; and Ruby Dixon
and Roscoe Barnes III, AMHP members.
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#PrivatePrison #PrivatePrisons
Note: For information on MDAH, visit http://www.mdah.ms.gov.
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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 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
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
