By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright © 2018
#AnneMoody
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| 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:
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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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
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
