Siblings of Anne Moody: ‘Principal Willis was Mr. Anselm J. Finch’

Family Confirms Name of the Founder of Willis High in Coming of Age in Mississippi

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

Anselm Joseph Finch

I have been saying for months that Anselm Joseph Finch is believed to be Principal Willis of Willis High in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi. The first person to suggest that was Charles E. Johnson, retired superintendent of education for Wilkinson County. He said to me, “There was no Willis High in Centreville. The school was Finch High School.”

And he was right.

Johnson’s information was confirmed this week by Anne’s brother, Fred Moody Jr., and her sister, Adline Moody, both of Gloster, Miss. Both siblings told me that they attended Finch High School in Centreville. They acknowledged Anne changed the names of many people – and places -- in the book. However, she used the actual names of her brothers and sisters, Adline said.

When asked about the controversy surrounding Finch and claims that he was an “Uncle Tom,” Adline said, “There was a lot of that going on back then. That’s how it was.”

In addition to being an educator and administrator, Finch was an accomplished writer. He published poetry, articles, and a number of books, including Mississippi Negro Ramblings (Adams Press, 1969). His work appeared in magazines and newspapers.

I recently learned of a biography of Finch by Sharon Burnette Bell that was written as a thesis for her Master of Arts degree at Jackson State University. It's titled, Anselm Joseph Finch: Mississippian and Life Long Educator (Jackson State University, 1976). It is well worth reading. One of the interesting features in Bell's research is a comment about the possible strategy that Finch employed in his dealings with the white community. Bell shared the thoughts of Dr. Lee E. Williams, who was vice president for administration at JSU and “had professional contact with Dr. Finch." Bell wrote: 

Mr. Williams also thought that Finch brought a lot of publicity to the state of Mississippi through his writings. He didn’t always agree with the context of the writings because he believed that Finch was too free and prolific with his unjust praise of Whites who often worked against Blacks. But this he feels was due to the time in which they both lived. Mr. Williams thought Finch probably used praise as a strategy to get what he wanted form the White man. (Pages 35-36)

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Acknowledgments:

Grateful acknowledgments are made to Ms. Darlita Ballard, university archivist for Jackson State University H.T. Sampson Library, for her assistance in providing information on Sharon Burnette Bell’s thesis.

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Would you like to know more about Anne Moody?

Visit the Anne Moody page here!

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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

Members of the Anne Moody History Project

Working to Keep Her Legacy Alive

Members of the Anne Moody History Project
From left: LaVern Taylor, Roscoe Barnes III, Emma Taplin, Ruby Dixon

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The Anne Moody History Project (AMHP) is a community service endeavor created by the staff of Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF), Woodville, Miss. Its aim is to promote and help preserve the legacy of civil rights pioneer Anne Moody, who was born and raised in Wilkinson County. Moody's hometown is Centreville, Miss.. She spent a short time in Woodville before going off to college in Natchez. Moody wrote Coming of Age in Mississippi, which was first published in 1968. #AnneMoody

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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!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 
See the Anne Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III 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

Farewell to Anne Moody: The Passing of a Civil Rights Icon

By Roscoe Barnes III, PhD

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

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It was a somber Saturday on Feb. 14, 2015, when about 50 people paid their respects to civil rights pioneer Anne Moody. They gathered at the Homochitto Association Development Center (HADC) in Gloster, Miss. Family and friends remembered her as a famous author, mother, sister, and soldier of the civil rights movement.

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

During the memorial service, people from Anne’s past and present, consisting of blacks and whites, acknowledged her contributions as a writer and fighter for freedom and justice. They also recognized her place as an important figure in the nation's history.

“Anne was a freedom fighter,” said Adline. “She was unmovable in her fight for freedom. She put her life on the line for all mankind, black or white.”

Related article:

"Anne Moody’s Final Resting Place: Family Buries Her Ashes Beside her Mother in Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery." See here.

National Recognition

Anne had spent her final years living in reclusion. Few people knew where she was or what she was doing. Her work as a civil rights worker seemed all forgotten in some places. But when she died, it seemed the nation stopped for a moment to take notice, as her name appeared in newspapers across the country.

The New York Times (Feb. 17, 2015) noted her “searing memoir” in a story about her passing:

“Anne Moody, whose searing memoir, ‘Coming of Age in Mississippi,’ told what it was like to grow up black in the era of Jim Crow, died on Feb. 5 at her home in Gloster, Miss. She was 74.

“Her death was announced on the website of Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi. Ms. Moody had had dementia in recent years.”

The Washington Post (Feb. 9, 2015) commented on the enduring legacy of her book:

“Nearly half a century after its publication, Ms. Moody’s 1968 autobiography remains a noted volume in the library of first-person accounts describing the inequality suffered by African Americans of her era. The book recounted her upbringing in grinding poverty and the experience of discrimination and violence that propelled her to join the civil rights movement in the 1960s.”

The Associated Press (Feb. 10, 2015) described her story as a “wrenching account” of life in southwest Mississippi:

“Anne Moody, whose memoir ‘Coming of Age in Mississippi’ gave a wrenching account of growing up poor in the segregated South and facing violence as a civil rights activist, has died.”

Once again Anne’s name was in the news. While it was pleasing to see the recognition, it was somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow. After all, a legend was now gone. And all the praise in the world could not bring her back. People who knew Anne, including those who read her book, will probably agree that when she died, the nation lost an icon and Mississippi lost a daughter and heroine of the civil rights movement.

Daughter of Mississippi

Anne was born on Sept. 15, 1940, in the small rural town of Centreville, Miss. Her parents were Fred Moody Sr. and Elmira “Too Sweet” Williams Moody. Anne was the oldest of 10 children. In addition to Adline, her siblings include Fred Moody Jr., Kenneth Jefferson, Ralph Jefferson, James Jefferson, Vallery Jefferson, Frances Jefferson, Virginia Gibson, and Leroy Jefferson Jr. Anne’s son, Sasha Straus, and some of her siblings live in Mississippi.

At the age of 17, Anne moved to Woodville, Miss. to live with her father, and his wife, Emma. While in Woodville, she attended Johnson High School and graduated in 1959. She went on to Natchez College and later to Tougaloo College where she became involved in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s.

Anne was a student at Tougaloo College when she appeared in the iconic photo of a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter on May 28, 1963, in Jackson, Miss. The Associated Press reported:

“A white mob attacked the integrated group of peaceful students, dousing them with ketchup, mustard and sugar and beating one of the men.

“A photograph from the sit-in shows Moody sitting stoically at the five-and-dime counter with food on her head. Moody's eyes are downcast as a man pours more food on one of her fellow students, Joan Trumpauer.”

Anne lived for a time in New York. In 1967, she married poet Austin Straus. Her book, Coming of Age in Mississippi, was published in 1968. It became a bestseller and was translated in many languages. Their son, Sasha, was born in 1971.

Anne spent 10 years living in Europe. She returned to Mississippi in her later years. She lectured at Tougaloo College and the University of Mississippi. She settled in Gloster, which is only a few miles from her hometown of Centreville.

Memorial Service

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 at 2753 Antioch Perkins Road in a rural section of Gloster in southwest Mississippi.

The program opened with a musical prelude, a hymn of praise, and reading of Psalm 91. The Scripture reading was followed by a congregational hymn, prayer, a prayer chant and musical selection.

Several speakers addressed the audience, including Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chinn, Rev. Ed King, Ben Talbot of the NAACP, Centreville Mayor Larry Lee, and Dr. Wesley Prater of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees.

Lee presented a resolution on behalf of the town of Centreville, where Moody was born and raised. He said the town recognized Moody “for her outstanding service to humanity, by and through her outstanding career in helping others.” He said “she loved working with young children and teenagers pointing out to them the value of a good education.”

‘We Shall Overcome’

King, former chaplain at Tougaloo College and leader in the civil rights movement, remembered Moody as “one of the heroines of the movement.” He shared a brief message from Psalm 56, which talks about the difficulties in life and “enemies lying in wait for you.” King encouraged the audience, saying, “God is on our side and we shall overcome.”

The Rev. Eva Brown, a distant relative of Moody, delivered the eulogy. She described Moody as a warrior for civil rights, a servant, and a “soldier in the army of the Lord.” She noted that Moody put her life on the line “many times as a soldier” and “she had so much to say, she had to write it down.” Like the prophets in the Bible, she “had some good days and some bad days, but she kept on fighting,” Brown said.

Sister Edna Weatherspoon provided a solo and Sister Shirley Brown read the Acknowledgments and Obituary. The program ended with a closing prayer and benediction.

“Anne fought a long good fight,” said Adline. “Now she’s gone home to be with Jesus Christ, along with her mother and father.”

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Would you like to know more about Anne Moody?

Visit the Anne Moody page here!

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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 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

This Day in Anne Moody History - February 5

On Feb. 5, 2015, Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, died at her home in Gloster, Miss. She was 74. Moody grew up in Centreville, Miss. She worked as a civil rights activist while attending Tougaloo College in the early 1960s. Her book was published in 1968.

#AnneMoody #OnThisDay

To learn more about Anne Moody, visit here.

Anne Moody and Centreville Missionary Baptist Church

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

Centreville Missionary Baptist Church is featured in Anne Moody’s 
Coming of Age in Mississippi. It was considered the largest black 
church in Centreville, Miss. The church was bricked in the early 1970s, 
according to Moody’s family.

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Curiosity got the best of me. After reading about Centreville Missionary Baptist Church in Anne Moody’s book, Coming of Age in Mississippi, I had to find the church and take a look at the cemetery behind it. The church is on the corner of Church Street and Cemetery Street in the northeast section of Centreville, Miss. It is pastored by the Rev. Jack Brown Jr.

The church is in the part of the town that's located in Amite County. Moody’s childhood home, located off of Highway 24 on the corner of Anne Moody Street (formerly Fort Street) and Hospital Road, is in Wilkinson County.

Readers of Moody's book will recall that her family began attending the church after they moved into town. They had previously attended Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, which was in the rural part of Centreville. The family of Moody's step-father, Raymond (Leroy Jefferson), and his mother, Miss Pearl (Violet Graves Jefferson), were active members of the church. Raymond and Miss Pearl are also buried in the cemetery behind the church along with other members of the Jefferson family.

In Chapter 5 of Moody’s book, she writes about her family’s connection to Centreville Baptist. She also gives a physical description of the church building. At the time, the church apparently had a white frame structure. But it was bricked in the early 1970s, according to Moody’s family.

“Raymond and Miss Pearl them belonged to Centreville Baptist, the largest Negro church in town. Now that we were living with Raymond Mama started thinking about joining Raymond’s church.”

“One Saturday in early spring she [Mama] went to town and bought a new dress and hat for herself. That night, before we went to bed, she told us that we’d have to get up early the next morning because we were going to Centreville Baptist. I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, thinking about going there. Raymond had once taken us for a ride and showed it to us. It was a big white frame building on a brick base with cement steps all the way across the front. It had great big windows painted in different shades of blue and green. I wondered as I fell asleep what it was like inside.”

Moody was quite impressed with the choir at Centreville Baptist. She wanted to join the church and sing with the choir. She writes:

“While the collection for the sick was being taken up, the choir sang a few songs. This was the first time I had been in a church that had a choir. I used to listen to choirs on the radio sometimes, and this one sounded just as good. They sang ‘Rock of Ages’ and ‘Stand by Me.’ There were young girls among the singers. Some of them didn’t look any older than me. I sat there listening to them and hoping Mama would change her membership to here. ‘Then I could sing in the choir too,’ I thought.”

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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!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 

See the Anne Moody page here.

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III 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

Anne Moody Featured in Mississippi Museum

Artifacts Housed at African American Museum in Woodville

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

This photograph of Anne Moody was taken by Chrissy Wilson.

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Note: An earlier version of this article reported Anne Moody's typewriter was on display at the African American Museum. We have learned that the typewriter on display was NOT owned by Moody. For this reason, we have deleted mentions of the typewriter in this article. We have also removed the image.

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The African American Museum of Woodville, Miss., is one of the hidden gems of southwest Mississippi. It features artifacts related to several historic figures, including Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi.

Moody was a civil rights pioneer who was born in 1940 in the small rural town of Centreville, Miss. She lived in the town until the age of 17, at which time she moved to Woodville to live with her father, Fred Moody Sr. Woodville is 14 miles west of Centreville. Moody attended Johnson High School, a historically black school in Woodville that closed in 1959, the same year she graduated.

Moody’s ties to Woodville make the museum even more relevant. In addition to her book, Coming of Age, the museum displays a copy of her book, Mr. Death: Four Stories.

The museum includes a large photograph of Moody that was taken by Chrissy Wilson. The portrait shows a smiling Moody in her younger days, wearing a knit cap. Along with the portrait, the museum displays a short biography of Moody.

In addition to Moody, the museum features William Grant Still (1895 - 1978), who was known as a world famous composer and dean of African American classical composers. He is remembered as the first African American to conduct a major orchestra. He conducted the Los Angeles Symphony in 1936.

Other noted figures in the museum are blues guitarist Scott Dunbar (1909 - 1994) and saxophonist Lester “Pres” Young (1909 - 1959). Outside the museum is a Woodville Blues sign. It presents the following:

Musicians from Woodville demonstrate the breadth of the blues’s influence on American music. Composer William Grant Still incorporated the blues into his “Afro-American Symphony,” while the innovative saxophonist Lester “Pres” Young helped define the blues-infused jazz styles of the Count Basie orchestra and vocalist Billie Holiday. More traditional blues artists from the area include Scott Dunbar and his protégé Robert Cage.

The museum is owned and operated by the Woodville Civic Club (WCC). It is located behind the courthouse on the corner of Royal Oak Street and Bank Street in the heart of Woodville's historic district. The museum opened in 2004 after the WCC received a grant to restore its building, according to WCC Executive Director Ernesto Caldeira. “In 2004, thanks to a Mississippi Department of Archives and History Grant, the restoration was completed and the service dependency with bathrooms and storage facilities was built,” according to the WCC website.

In collecting items for display, the museum volunteers wanted to focus on the positive, Caldeira said. He explained: “We wanted to show the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans to the arts and to the literary world. We’re delighted that we have good representations in the people we’re featuring.”

As for Moody, Caldeira said he did not get to meet her. However, his associate, David Smith, spoke with her and invited her to the museum. But she was not able to come.

Moody died in 2015 at the age of 74. She had been suffering from dementia, according to her  sisters, Adline Moody and Frances Jefferson.

This two-story building, constructed around 1819, is the home of
the African American Museum. It was known as Branch Banking
House and is believed to be the oldest banking building in Mississippi.

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Centreville, Woodville in

Coming of Age in Mississippi

Moody writes about southwest Mississippi in many parts of her book. She gives colorful anecdotes and memorable descriptions of interesting people and places around her hometown. In an early chapter of her book, she writes about life in the town of Centreville:

“At the end of that summer Mama found it necessary for us to move into town in Centreville, where she worked. This time we moved into a two-room house that was twice the size of the other one.” – Chapter 2, Coming of Age in Mississippi

“I was going to Willis High, the only school Negro school in Centreville. It was named for Mr. C. H. Willis, its principal and founder, and had only been expanded into a high school the year before I started there. Before Mr. Willis came to town, the eighth grade had been the limit of schooling for Negro children in Centreville.” – Chapter 2, Coming of Age in Mississippi

After moving to Woodville, Moody had a room of her own. It was something she appreciated. She lived with her father and his wife, Emma. She writes:

“It was Thursday when I left Alberta’s to live with Daddy. That following Saturday before he went to work, he told me he had given Emma money for us to go into town and buy furniture for my room. He said he had given her enough for me to get whatever I wanted. I was all excited about buying furniture. It was the first time in my life that I would have a room to myself and I was seventeen years old. All that morning I was thinking about how I would fix my room up. I wanted to make it look just like the students’ rooms I had seen in magazines, with a single bed, a bookshelf filled with books, and a desk with a good lamp. I had planned to go to a secondhand store and get most of what I wanted, since I wanted to save most of the money for books. But when we got into town, I discovered Emma had other ideas. She went straight to the most expensive furniture store in Woodville.” – Chapter 16, Coming of Age in Mississippi

Moody spent most of her early years in Centreville, but she also left her mark on Woodville. As a student at Johnson High School, she played basketball under the leadership of Coach Dunbar. She writes:

“Johnson High had become one of the most challenged teams in the state and I was one of its most valuable players. In addition, I organized Johnson High’s first gymnastic and tumbling team, ran track, did substitute teaching, and spent all day Sunday in church. Before I realized it, I was practicing for graduation.” – Chapter 17, Coming of Age in Mississippi

This sign is posted outside the African American Museum.

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Learn MORE about Anne Moody! Visit here to see

the timeline of important events in her life history!

  

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References/Resources:

To arrange a tour of the African American Museum, send request to: info@historicwoodville.com.

Information on the African American Museum and Historic Woodville is available here: http://www.historicwoodville.org and here: http://www.woodvillems.org/about-us/history

For information on the bluesmen featured in the museum, visit:

http://msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/woodville-blues

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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 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

Mt. Pleasant to Honor Anne Moody in Celebration of Black History Month

Special services set for February

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

#BlackHistory

#BlackHistoryMonth

Rev. LeReginald Jones, Assistant Pastor
Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church

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Centreville, Miss. -- The congregation of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, Centreville, will honor the legacy of Anne Moody this year by dedicating two services to her memory, according to Assistant Pastor LeReginald Jones.

The first service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, February 11, 2018, and the second service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 25, 2018. Jones will be the speaker for the first service. Roscoe Barnes III, chairman of the Anne Moody History Project, will speak at the second service.

“We’re calling the second and fourth Sundays, ‘Anne Moody Sunday,’” Jones said. “Usually in February we celebrate Black History Month. This year we’re going to honor Anne Moody.”

Jones said the theme for the two services is, “We Are Because They Were.”

Moody was a civil rights worker and the author of Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968). She and her family were once members of Mt. Pleasant.

“We’re honoring her because she’s done so much for us that we don’t know about,” Jones said. “She was on the front lines of the civil rights movement and made sacrifices, even putting her life on the line.”

Public invited

The public is invited to both services. In recognition of Moody on the fourth Sunday, everyone is asked to wear purple and black. Purple was Moody’s favorite color, according to her sister, Frances Jefferson. Moody’s favorite meal, red beans and rice with fried chicken, will be provided at the service.

Mt. Pleasant is located at 8755 Highway 24 East, Centreville, about 9 miles east of Woodville. The church is in Wilkinson County in southwest Mississippi, about 40 minutes southeast of Natchez. Moody writes about Mt. Pleasant in her autobiography.

Moody was born in 1940. She grew up in Centreville where she faced poverty, hard work, and discrimination during the Jim Crow era. As a teenager, she moved to Woodville where she attended Johnson High School.

Moody’s legacy

Moody and her family attended Mt. Pleasant, the church where she was also baptized as a teenager. She also attended school in a small building near the church. Moody’s parents, Elmira ‘Too Sweet’ Jefferson and Fred Moody Sr., are buried in the cemetery across from the church.

Jones noted that because of Moody’s work for freedom and justice, the world came to know about Centreville and southwest Mississippi. “She put us – and the church -- on the world stage,” he said.

Jones said the church is honoring her “for her heroism and to keep the legacy of Mt. Pleasant alive.” He explained that Mt. Pleasant “has always had progressive and forward-leaning pastors.”

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“Born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, in 1940, Anne Moody spent her early childhood on a plantation where her parents were sharecroppers. As a scholarship student, she attended Natchez Junior College and Tougaloo, graduating from the latter in 1964. Miss Moody has worked for CORE, traveling and speaking all over the nation.” -- From the book cover, Coming of Age in Mississippi

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Jones’ grandfather, the Rev. L.C. Weatherspoon Sr., is the senior pastor of Mt. Pleasant. Jones is the great-grandson of Edna Jones, who is known as “Sister Jones” in Moody’s book.

“I was two when she died,” he said of Sister Jones. “Everybody in the family feels I was her favorite because I was spoiled.”

In addition to serving Moody’s favorite meal, the church also plans to distribute copies of Moody’s book, Coming of Age in Mississippi. Other details about the two Sunday services will be presented at a later date, according to Jones.

For more information on the Anne Moody programs, contact Rev. LeReginald Jones at Regjones06@gmail.com or by calling 601-392-4294.

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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!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 

See the Anne Moody page here.

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III 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

New York professor donates 50 copies of Anne Moody’s book

Gift welcomed by Anne Moody History Project

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

Members of the Anne Moody History Project (AMHP) received 50 copies
of Coming of Age in Mississippi as a special gift from Professor Leigh Ann 
Wheeler, Ph.D., of New York. AMHP members from left: Emma Taplin, 
LaVern Taylor and Ruby Dixon.

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Woodville, Miss. -- A New York professor recently donated 50 copies of Coming of Age in Mississippi to the Anne Moody History Project (AMHP). AMHP is a community service project of Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF) in Woodville, Miss.

Dr. Leigh Ann Wheeler, Professor of History at Binghamton University of Binghamton, New York, said she was delighted to make the contribution. She said via email:

“I sent these to you because I know you are using Anne Moody's autobiography to do great work with inmates at the correctional facility, and also because I know you want to introduce local residents and school children to Anne's life and work--and autobiography.” 

Professor Leigh Ann Wheeler, Ph.D.

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Wheeler, who is senior editor of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, is the author of How Sex Became a Civil Liberty (Oxford University Press, 2012) and Against Obscenity:Reform and the Politics of Womanhood in America, 1873–1935 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004). She is widely published in academic journals.

Wheeler is currently doing research on Moody. In fact, she’s writing the first critical biography of the civil rights pioneer. In February, she will visit Centreville, Miss., Moody’s hometown, and other places in southwest Mississippi.

Wheeler said the visit, the first of many, will help her to get better acquainted with the area and the people who knew Moody. Her list of contacts includes the family and friends of the noted author. For more information on Wheeler, see her profile at: 

https://www.binghamton.edu/history/people/faculty/wheeler.html

Members of the Anne Moody History Project welcome donation of 

Anne Moody's book. From left are: Emma Taplin, LaVern Taylor, 

Roscoe Barnes III, and Ruby Dixon.

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Moody was born in 1940 in Centreville. She died in 2015. At the time of her death, she was living in Gloster, Miss. Her book, Coming of Age in Mississippi, was first published in December 1968. AMHP is working to promote and help preserve her legacy as a writer and worker in the civil rights movement.

AMHP member LaVern Taylor said she was pleasantly surprised by Wheeler’s gift, which arrived during the Christmas holiday season.

“I think it’s wonderful in this day and time that people are willing to give such thoughtfulness in educating our people,” she said. “You just don’t have that many people today who would do such a thing, but I’m really grateful to her for this gift.”

AMHP hopes to place the books in the Wilkinson County School District where students in both the high school and middle school can discover Moody’s legacy and be inspired to help make the world a better place to live.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Learn MORE about Anne Moody! Visit here to see

the timeline of important events in her life history!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information: 

See the Anne Moody page here.

Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III 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