By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright © 2018
#AnneMoody
The Rev. Ed King, civil rights leader and former chaplain at Tougaloo College, was one of several people from Anne Moody’s past who attended her memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. King, who lives in Jackson, Miss., reflected on Moody in a phone interview on Dec. 20, 2017. He also talked about the words of encouragement that he shared at the memorial service.
King described Moody as “one of the heroines of the movement, one of the people who took the first steps in the Jackson movement.” He said that when she moved out with the other civil rights workers at Woolworth’s, no one knew what would happen.
“They thought they might be arrested,” he recalled. “But she was willing to move, knowing that somebody had to do something, and not wait to see what were the consequences of doing it or even if it might be successful.”
King appears in one of the Woolworth’s photographs featured in M.J. O’Brien’s book, We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In and the Movement It Inspired. Said King: “He has a photograph after the demonstration had ended where I’m at the counter wiping up the blood and trash on the demonstrators and I’m looking very priestly and pastoral and sanctimonious. But my assignment as an ‘observer’ was to report everything to Medgar Evers and not to participate in the demonstration.”
Other Causes
Although famous for her participation in the Woolworth’s sit-in, Moody also took part in other important events. According to King, one week after Woolworth’s, she was arrested in a protest at the federal building.
“The day after Medgar Evers’ funeral, she thought she might be going to jail for trying to attend a white church when most churches excluded blacks, but she and her friends were admitted at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, after being turned away at another white church,” King said. “That was a photograph that also got into the New York Times.”
The entire situation struck King as a bit ironic.
“So the irony of looking super well-dressed in your Sunday best, and a week earlier you’re being photographed in the filth and blood at Woolworth's,” he said. “She was up to the occasion in both accounts.”
At the time, “nobody thought she would become a star when they went to Woolworth's,” he explained. “They weren’t doing things for publicity for themselves; they were doing it for publicity for the movement.”
Grassroots movement
King is now in his 80s. He is semi-retired. He said he’s been teaching for almost 40 years at the School of Health Related Professions-University of Mississippi Medical Center. He taught social health care and sociology classes. He is currently writing a book about the “heavy politics” of the civil rights movement. He explained: “We were building a grassroots movement that ran all the way from students like Anne, to local people who would then get involved when they saw students taking a stand, all the way to the Tougaloo College president.”
King said his book will focus on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. And speaking of books, King said he tells people about Moody’s book “all the time.” Moody wrote Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968).
According to King, Moody’s book is important for a number of reasons. “She gives the background of her family struggles,” he said. “And it’s good that it’s not from the more famous part of the state, which, you know, these days, that’s the Delta. But it’s certainly the area that was part of the state that was being celebrated (in December 2017) with the 200th anniversary because Wilkinson is one of the oldest places in the state, in terms of colonial and statehood.”
Memorial Service
Moody died on Feb. 5, 2015 at her home in Gloster, Miss. She was 74. A memorial service was held in her honor on Feb. 14, 2015, in a rural section of Gloster. King was one of about 50 people who attended the service. He was one of a handful of speakers.
“I spoke from Psalm 56 which talks about the difficulty in life,” King said. “The psalmist sees enemies lying in wait for you, but God is on our side and we shall overcome. The psalmist did not say life would be easy. He did not say God rescues us every minute. He does say God knows and is in charge. Anne had a difficult life. She was successful in some parts of her life, like her writing.”
In terms of attendance, some people came to the service who did not know Moody personally, according to King. He noted they came to honor her. He recalled: “They had read her book. A few people from around Mississippi came, black and white. Most of the people there were Wilkinson County people, including her son, Sasha, and her sister, Adline, and others. People came to show their respects to her. They were saying, ‘Wish we had met her a few years earlier.’”
JACKSON
CLARION-LEDGER/RICK GUY -- The Rev. Edwin King stands next
to photographs from the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City. He
addressed the convention as a member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic
Party. Photo used with permission of the Clarion-Ledger.
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The Rev. Ed King, civil rights leader and former chaplain at Tougaloo College, was one of several people from Anne Moody’s past who attended her memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. King, who lives in Jackson, Miss., reflected on Moody in a phone interview on Dec. 20, 2017. He also talked about the words of encouragement that he shared at the memorial service.
King described Moody as “one of the heroines of the movement, one of the people who took the first steps in the Jackson movement.” He said that when she moved out with the other civil rights workers at Woolworth’s, no one knew what would happen.
“They thought they might be arrested,” he recalled. “But she was willing to move, knowing that somebody had to do something, and not wait to see what were the consequences of doing it or even if it might be successful.”
King appears in one of the Woolworth’s photographs featured in M.J. O’Brien’s book, We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In and the Movement It Inspired. Said King: “He has a photograph after the demonstration had ended where I’m at the counter wiping up the blood and trash on the demonstrators and I’m looking very priestly and pastoral and sanctimonious. But my assignment as an ‘observer’ was to report everything to Medgar Evers and not to participate in the demonstration.”
Other Causes
Although famous for her participation in the Woolworth’s sit-in, Moody also took part in other important events. According to King, one week after Woolworth’s, she was arrested in a protest at the federal building.
“The day after Medgar Evers’ funeral, she thought she might be going to jail for trying to attend a white church when most churches excluded blacks, but she and her friends were admitted at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, after being turned away at another white church,” King said. “That was a photograph that also got into the New York Times.”
The entire situation struck King as a bit ironic.
“So the irony of looking super well-dressed in your Sunday best, and a week earlier you’re being photographed in the filth and blood at Woolworth's,” he said. “She was up to the occasion in both accounts.”
At the time, “nobody thought she would become a star when they went to Woolworth's,” he explained. “They weren’t doing things for publicity for themselves; they were doing it for publicity for the movement.”
Grassroots movement
King is now in his 80s. He is semi-retired. He said he’s been teaching for almost 40 years at the School of Health Related Professions-University of Mississippi Medical Center. He taught social health care and sociology classes. He is currently writing a book about the “heavy politics” of the civil rights movement. He explained: “We were building a grassroots movement that ran all the way from students like Anne, to local people who would then get involved when they saw students taking a stand, all the way to the Tougaloo College president.”
King said his book will focus on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. And speaking of books, King said he tells people about Moody’s book “all the time.” Moody wrote Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968).
According to King, Moody’s book is important for a number of reasons. “She gives the background of her family struggles,” he said. “And it’s good that it’s not from the more famous part of the state, which, you know, these days, that’s the Delta. But it’s certainly the area that was part of the state that was being celebrated (in December 2017) with the 200th anniversary because Wilkinson is one of the oldest places in the state, in terms of colonial and statehood.”
Memorial Service
Moody died on Feb. 5, 2015 at her home in Gloster, Miss. She was 74. A memorial service was held in her honor on Feb. 14, 2015, in a rural section of Gloster. King was one of about 50 people who attended the service. He was one of a handful of speakers.
“I spoke from Psalm 56 which talks about the difficulty in life,” King said. “The psalmist sees enemies lying in wait for you, but God is on our side and we shall overcome. The psalmist did not say life would be easy. He did not say God rescues us every minute. He does say God knows and is in charge. Anne had a difficult life. She was successful in some parts of her life, like her writing.”
In terms of attendance, some people came to the service who did not know Moody personally, according to King. He noted they came to honor her. He recalled: “They had read her book. A few people from around Mississippi came, black and white. Most of the people there were Wilkinson County people, including her son, Sasha, and her sister, Adline, and others. People came to show their respects to her. They were saying, ‘Wish we had met her a few years earlier.’”
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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 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
