Centreville, Wilkinson County honor civil rights pioneer

I am ecstatic about this news. I’m also grateful to the Centreville Board of Aldermen and the Wilkinson County Board of Supervisors. Special thanks to Mayor Larry Lee. 

#AnneMoody #Tougaloo

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Enterprise-Journal 

6/20/17

Centreville, Wilkinson County honor civil rights pioneer

Town renames street for Moody, 

highway designation sought

Centreville officials recently named a street after hometown author and civil rights activists Anne Moody, and Wilkinson County authorities are trying to rename a portion of Highway 24 after her.

Centreville aldermen renamed Fort Street, the location of Moody’s childhood home, in her honor.

Aldermen also approved a proclamation recognizing Sept. 15 — Moody’s birthday — as Anne Moody Day.

“I think it’s a good thing to honor a person such as Anne Moody who was dedicated and made sacrifices for others,” Centreville Mayor Larry Lee said. “She fought for a good cause and she put her life on the line in the struggle for freedom and civil rights.”

Wilkinson County supervisors on June 5 approved a resolution to name Highway 24 from the Highway 61 intersection in Woodville, east to the Amite County line in Centreville as “Anne Moody Highway.”

Rep. Angela Cockerham, D-Magnolia, whose district includes Wilkinson County, will introduce legislation for approval on the state level.

Moody, who died in 2015, was a civil rights activist and the author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi.”

She was born in Wilkinson County, reared in Centreville, lived briefly in Woodville and spent her final years in Gloster.

The requests to name the street and highway after her came from the Anne Moody History Project, which was established in March by the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, a private prison in Woodville.

Prison Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, who chairs the committee, said the aim of the project is “to promote and help preserve” Moody’s legacy.

“As a committee, we appreciate the value and the historic significance of Ms. Moody’s legacy and what it means for this community as well as future generations,” he said.

 The prison held a program to honor Moody on June 12, with guest speakers including Moody’s brother, the Rev. Fred Moody Jr. of Gloster and Dr. Stephanie Scott-Sullivan.