Anne Moody
Anne Moody was an influential civil rights activist and author, born on September 15, 1940, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. As the eldest of nine children in a struggling family, she worked as a domestic worker to support her siblings while excelling in her studies at local segregated schools. Moody's activism began to take shape during her time at Natchez Junior College, where she joined organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the NAACP. After graduating from Tougaloo College in 1964, she became increasingly involved in the civil rights movement, participating in significant events such as the March on Washington and the Woolworth lunch counter sit-in.
Moody's experiences, including the impact of racial violence, deeply influenced her writing. Her acclaimed autobiographical novel, *Coming of Age in Mississippi*, published in 1968, chronicles her encounters with racism and her journey out of poverty. Although she later distanced herself from the civil rights movement due to personal doubts, her contributions were recognized with several awards, including a Brotherhood Award and accolades from Mademoiselle magazine. After a period of working as a counselor and living abroad, Moody passed away on February 5, 2015, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and powerful storytelling.
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Subject Terms
Anne Moody
Activist
- Born: September 15, 1940
- Birthplace: Wilkinson County, Mississippi
- Died: February 5, 2015
Biography
Anne Moody was born on September 15, 1940, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, the eldest of nine children born to Fred and Elnire Moody. Her father left the family when Moody was a child, and her mother struggled to support her children. Moody worked as a domestic throughout high school so she could help support her brothers and sisters. She was educated in the local segregated schools where she excelled in nearly all of her classes, and she was well liked by her fellow students.
After graduating from high school, she moved to New Orleans to live with an aunt while she tried to find a job as a waitress. During the summer, she received a basketball scholarship to play for Natchez Junior College, and while she was there she became involved with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1964, she graduated with a BS degree from Tougaloo College.
After the hanging of Emmett Till in 1964, she became much more active in the civil rights movement. She served as the civil rights coordinator at Cornell University, and she attended many civil rights rallies and sit-ins, including the famous sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi. Moody also was present at the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. However, Moody eventually broke away from the movement because she had doubts about the direction of black liberation and mixed feelings about northern white people.
In 1967, Moody married Austin Straus, and they had one child before they divorced in 1969. In 1972, Moody was the artist-in- residence in Berlin, Germany. Eventually, she moved to New York, where she worked as a counselor for New York’s poverty program.
Moody is best known for her autobiographical novel Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968). The book describes the racism she encountered as a child in Mississippi and her personal struggles to overcome a life of poverty and despair. Moody described herself as a reluctant writer, but her work has been highly praised. Her book won a Brotherhood Award from the National Council of Christians and Jews and a Best Book of the Year Award from the National Library Association in 1969. She also won a silver medal from Mademoiselle magazine for one of her short stories. As well, her work has been recognized by the International PEN/Faulkner Awards.
After struggling for several years with dementia, Moody passed away at her home in Gloster, Mississippi, on February 5, 2015. She was seventy-four.
Bibliography
Anderson, Devery S. Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 2015. Print.
Fox, Margalit. "Anne Moody, Author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, Dies at 74." New York Times. New York Times, 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Dec. 2015.
Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Dial, 1968. Print.
Pettus, Emily Wagster. "Anne Moody, Sat Stoically at Violent Woolworth's Sit-In, Dies at 74." Los Angeles Times. Tribune, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Dec. 2015.
Rubin, Susan Goldman. Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi. New York: Holiday, 2014. Web. 23 Dec. 2015.