17 Facts About Anne Moody

Anne Moody was an American author who wrote about her experiences growing up poor and black in rural Mississippi, and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement through the NAACP, CORE and SNCC.

Anne Moody, born Essie Mae Anne Moody on September 15,1940, was the oldest of eight children.

At a young age Anne Moody began working for white families in the area, cleaning their houses and helping their children with homework for only a few dollars a week, while earning perfect grades in school and helping at Mount Pleasant church.

Anne Moody then moved on to Tougaloo College on an academic scholarship to earn a bachelor's degree.

Anne Moody became involved with the Congress of Racial Equality, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Anne Moody participated in a sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Jackson, when a mob attacked her, fellow student Joan Trumpauer, and Tougaloo professor John Salter, Jr.

Anne Moody was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi for attempting to protest inside of a post office with 13 others, including Joan Trumpauer, Doris Erskine, Jeanette King, and Lois Chaffee.

Anne Moody stipulated that she would not be a part of any interviews during this time.

Anne Moody wrote her second book, Mr Death: Four Stories, in 1975.

Anne Moody resettled in Mississippi in the early 1990s, though never felt at ease there, according to her sister Adline Moody.

On February 5,2015, Anne Moody died at her home in Gloster, Mississippi, at the age of 74, under the care of her younger sister Adline Anne Moody.

Anne Moody's autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, was acclaimed by Senator Edward Kennedy for its "powerful and moving" portrayal of life for a young African American before and during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Anne Moody grew up in a household where her mother would suppress any idea of questioning the way things were or the concept of segregation.

Anne Moody went on to work at Cornell and in 1975, released a collection of short stories entitled Mr Death: Four Stories.

Anne Moody declined to make public appearances or grant interviews, with one exception: the above-mentioned interview with Debra Spencer, in 1985.

Anne Moody was absent from the spotlight during and after the civil rights movement, partly because she needed time to heal from the physical and psychological wounds received during those efforts.

Anne Moody lived in New York City, worked as a counselor for the New York City Poverty Program, and had been working on a book, The Clay Gully, prior to her death.