Ann Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi
...pers in order to help their families. Anne's family was poor, so she worked hard in the homes and businesses of white people to support herself and to put herself through college. Prior to Kennedy's assassination, he was making plans to create opportunity to get the nation out of poverty, "Kennedy's farthest-reaching initiative was rooted in the acknowledgment that poverty was a persistent American problem" (Goldfield, 906), and in 1964, as Moody's autobiography came to an end, Johnson declared an unconditional war on poverty, which confirmed that this difficulty that was all too realistic to people like Anne Moody. Anne not only experienced poverty at a young age but also worked for its elimination at the same time as national movements. Education played a significant role in increasing civil rights for blacks all over the country. In the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Linda Brown, her family, and community were willing to fight for the right to go to school close to their homes and get the same education as any white third grader. Anne Moody displayed a similar drive to become educated. After she graduated from high school, Moody entered Natchez College with a basketball scholarship. Anne's involvement in the NAACP and CORE, were in large part due to her increasing knowledge of segregation and mistreatments of blacks around the country and especially in the South. The more Moody learned about murders and violence against blacks the more involved and passionate she got about her cause. Unfortunately at the time most other blacks could not afford to become well-informed of these injustices and therefore did not understand Moody's drive. Anne's mother never seemed to understand why Anne was so passionate about the Civil Rights Movement, and some would say that was due to her lack of knowledge about what was really happening to blacks in the South. Moody's education in school was extremely important, but what she learned outside of the classroom was just as if not more important to her cause. Moody learned early on that blacks were not treated fairly, and she never understood why the blacks she grew up with just stood around and took the mistreatment. Moody's mother was a good representation of a normal black middle-aged woman in the south during this time. Her mother did not understand why blacks where treated so poorly but did not have any inclination to find out. She was set on the way things were and wanted there to be as little change to that as possible. Moody's thought and opinions on blacks' rights were far different from her mother’s, and she made a conscious effort to become informed and knowledgeable. Ever since Moody was a young girl she always asked her mother questions. After coming home from school one day, Anne noticed everyone acting strange. She then said to her mother, "Why can't I ask about Benty them? They are kin to us, ain't they? What's wrong with people talking? What's wrong with people? Negroes are being killed, beaten up, run out of town by these white folks and everything. But Negroes can't even talk about it" (Moody, 145). Moody could not understand why her mother did want to even talk about what was going on or learn more about it. Becoming educated not only about the facts but also about the realities of life was extremely important to her and many other black Americans. Anne Moody's autobiography provides an excellent description of the horrible violence that was committed during the 1940s and 1950s. From Moody’s memoir, one can get a realistic view of what black Americans had to deal with in the South. Moody experienced violence at home, at the work place, and in society. While Moody’s narrative offers specific examples of violence towards her family and friends, during her life there were other acts of violence that were nationwide and that affected her personally. The murder of Emmit Till is the best example of how her life was a part of a much bigger picture. When Anne learned of the murder and the outcome of the trial, her life was changed. Moody could not understand any rationale behind it, and anger filled her heart. She began to hate every white person she saw, and hated the blacks who did not do anything about it. Incidents such as the Taplin burning, the Birmingham church bombing, Medgar Evars' death, and all the other murders she had experienced made her cold and committed to doing her part to achieve civil rights. Moody gave a vivid description of the Woolworth's sit-in that gained much attention around Mississippi and nationally. As Moody spoke of the time she sat at the counter, whites hit, slapped, and assaulted the three blacks who were sitting with her. Violence at this time was an everyday occurrence, not just for Moody but for all blacks, especially in the South. In history books, the facts and statistics of these violent acts are given, but Moody brings a much more personal description to the table. She tells the story from her view, which is all too realistic. Moody's portrayal of the violence in Mississippi helps to fill the void we have in the history we hear today of the Civil Rights Movement. Although Moody's experiences and stories help to bring The Movement to a more personal level there are also limitations to writing a memoir. Moody does not give any accounts of the poor whites in Mississippi or in the North. This begs the question of how accurate Moody's account is if one whole side of the story is not even presented. Did Anne Moody grasp the big picture of civil rights, or was her view more limited? History is not only th...