Portion of Hwy 24 Named in Honor of Anne Moody
#AnneMoody
#AnneMoodyHighway
Note: This story can be viewed in a different format on the MTC website. See it here or by following this link: https://www.mtctrains.com/news-anne-moody-highway-dedication-service/
As the chairman of the Anne Moody History Project, I can tell you we are all ecstatic about this front-page coverage in our local paper, The Woodville Republican (Woodville, Miss.). We are deeply grateful to Editor and Publisher Andy Lewis for his hard work and exceptional reporting on this historic event.
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The Woodville Republican
Anne Moody Highway Dedication Service
By Andy J. Lewis
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Portion of Hwy. 24 Named in Honor of Anne Moody
Years of hard work by a number of local residents finally
paid off last week with the naming of Mississippi Highway 24 between
Centreville and Woodville as the Anne Moody Memorial Highway.
An impressive ceremony with standing room only was held
on Wednesday, February 20, at 10 a.m. at the church where she was a member –
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.
The service was held to honor Anne Moody and to
officially dedicate the 15-mile stretch of Hwy. 24 which runs between the Town
of Centreville, where she was born and lived a good portion of her life, and
Woodville.
Anne Moody was a civil rights activist and the respected
author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Coming
of Age in Mississippi.
She was born Essie Mae Moody on September 15, 1940, to
Fred Moody, Sr., and Elmira “Too Sweet” Williams Moody in Centreville. Her
parents worked for a time as sharecroppers on the Miller Plantation.
She was the oldest of 10 children, Anne, and her former
husband, Austin Straus, were the parents of Sasha Straus.
She became an activist in the early 1960s while attending
Tougaloo College. She was a member of the National Association of Colored
People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She participated in many historic
nonviolent campaigns, including the Woolworth’s sit-in protest in 1963, the
March on Washington in 1963 and the Voter Registration Project in 1964.
In addition to incarcerations, she endured physical
violence and death threats in her fight for freedom, justice and equality for
all.
She died on February 5, 10, 2015, at the age of 74.
During the hour-long program, a number of guests were
presented and took part in the ceremony including Southern District Highway
Commissioner Tom King, who acted as master of ceremonies.
Others on the agenda included the WCHS Honor Guard for
the presentation of colors, Reverend LeReginald Jones, pastor of Mt. Pleasant
Church, Dorothy Veal, who sang We Shall Overcome, State Representative Angela
Cockerham, who sponsored House Bill 1153 which designated a portion of Hwy. 24
as the “Anne Moody Memorial Highway,” Dr. Roscoe Barnes, III, who gave a
history of the Anne Moody project, Moody’s brother, Reverend Fred Moody, Jr., who
provided an inside look at his sister, and Reverend Larry Lee, who gave the
benediction.
Dr. Barnes, who is the chaplain at the Wilkinson County
Correctional Facility in Woodville, spearheaded the drive to memorialize Anne
Moody and to have a portion of Hwy. 24 named in her honor.
In Dr. Barnes’ talk, he outlined how the memorial project
began, how it progressed and then praised the end result.
The Journey to the
Anne Moody Memorial Highway
Dr. Barnes said, “I want to speak for a couple of minutes
about the journey involved with today’s honor. In doing this, I want to look at
some of the things that brought us to where we are.
“Some of you may be surprised to know that the idea for
the Anne Moody Memorial Highway originated in a prison. Specifically, the dream
of naming a portion of Highway 24 in Anne Moody’s honor was birthed inside the
Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. The facility is privately managed by
Management & Training Corporation or MTC of Utah.
“It all started in the spring of 2017 when I walked in on
a conversation between my colleagues, Ms. Emma Taplin and Ms. Lavern Taylor.
They were talking about Anne Moody’s contributions to the civil rights movement
and her sacrifices in the fight for freedom and justice for all people. They
also noted, with serious concern – and apparent sadness – that she had not
received the recognition she deserved.
“Then, almost in unison, they said, ‘We need to do
something. We need to do our part in honoring her legacy. We need to tell
people about her story.’
“We later spoke to our colleague, Ms. Ruby Dixon, and she
agreed that we must act. After some brainstorming, we created the Anne Moody
History Project as a community service endeavor to promote and help preserve
the legacy of this civil rights pioneer. We agreed that our mission would be to
keep her legacy alive.
“While we were certainly committed and quite ambitious in
our efforts, we did not work in isolation. In fact, I can say without hesitation
that some of our plans would have fallen short without the support of our
elected officials and government agencies. For this reason, I want to
acknowledge the support we received.
“We are grateful to the Centreville Board of Aldermen for
approving, unanimously, our request for a Proclamation for Anne Mood Day on
September 15, and for the resolution to rename Fort Street, Anne Moody Street.
“We are grateful to the Wilkinson County Board of
Supervisors for approving our request for a resolution authorizing the state to
name a portion of Highway 24 in Moody’s honor.
“We offer thanks to Rep. Angela Cockerham, Gov. Phil
Bryant, Commissioner Tom King and the Mississippi Department of Transportation
for making this dream a reality.
“And last, but not leaser, we express our sincere
appreciation to the family of Anne Moody for their support and encouragement.”
“Anne Moody Memorial Highway” signs have been posted on
Hwy. 24 in Woodville just east of the Hwy. 61/24 intersection.
On display at the ceremony were several pieces of artwork
by WCCF inmates especially for the day; drawings of Anne Moody and places of
interest which had a connection to her, and one of Rep. Cockerham.
At the conclusion of the program refreshments were served
at the church.
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Want 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
