Life
Interviews, CORE Documents, Contemporaneous News Accounts, Fundraising Speech (1964), and more
On This Page
In Her Words: CORE field reports written by Anne Moody, oral history, 1968 WNYC Interview, her thoughts on the Black Power Movement (1969) and the role of black writers (1970)
Timelines: A three-part overview of Anne Moody's life, work, and influence, created by the Anne Moody History Project
In the News: News reports that feature Anne Moody and/or cover events described in Coming of Age in Mississippi
Also included are brief online biographies and the obituaries that appeared in major newspapers in 2015.
Featured Links & Videos
Jackie Robinson, “She Can’t Go Home Again”
On September 26, 1964, Jackie Robinson shared Anne Moody’s story with the readers of his syndicated newspaper column, then called Home Plate. “She Can’t Go Home Again” featured a vivid account of the white supremacist violence Moody faced as a result of her activism and described the danger that awaited her should she return to Mississippi.
Robinson was an early supporter of Moody following her departure from Mississippi, encouraging her to chronicle her experiences in a memoir. The full article available here or by clicking the image.
That Day In Jackson
The videos above introduce the 1963 Woolworth's sit-in where Anne Moody, Memphis Norman, Hunter Bear (then known as John Salter), Joan Trumpauer, and many others were subjected to racist assaults for over three hours as they remained nonviolent. Counter Histories: Jackson, Mississippi (left) was produced in 2014 by the Southern Foodways Alliance. The Woolworth’s Sit-In: Protesting for Life, Freedom, and Dignity (right) was produced in 2018 by participants in the Mississippi Youth Media Project. Details of their work can be found here.
The image above links to the recollections of Rev. Ed King, then the Chaplain at Tougaloo College. King was a designated observer of the sit-in and his recollections of that day are held by the Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia.
In Her Words
Includes C.O.R.E. Field Reports -- Oral History -- Radio Interview -- Speech Transcript -- Black Power Article -- NYT Letter
C.O.R.E. Field Reports
June 21 - August 9, 1963
In this field report, Anne Moody details the "everlasting fear" in Canton, MS, and the difficulties facing members of the local black community who attempt to register to vote. She relates bits of conversation, describes the local fear of house-bombing preventing civil rights workers from locating housing, and contrasts the number of Madison County residents attempting to register to vote with those whose applications were approved by the registrar.
June 1963
While David Dennis' name is on the first page of this report, the words, "I, Annie Moody, ..." appear on the second. In it are many details of police harassment and assaults. directed at CORE workers and Madison County citizens.
Anne Moody describes being shot at while in a car with students returning to Tougaloo College. The document also features details of registration obstruction by the county registrar.
1964 CORE Speech
Excerpts from a 1964 speech Anne Moody gave in August of 1964 at Syracuse University as part of a fundraiser for CORE. The audio of the speech is a part of the George Wiley Papers held by the University of Wisconsin.
1985 Oral History
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History holds Anne Moody's oral history, a wide-ranging discussion of her life in Mississippi and beyond: audio availability and transcript.
On Black Power (1969)
1969 WNYC Interview
In 1969, as part of the promotion for Coming of Age in Mississippi, Anne Moody was interviewed by William Booth for the radio series "The Black Man in America. Here is a link to the program page with audio and an auto-generated transcript. Complete audio is also embedded below.
“On Negroes and the Future”
Anne Moody’s contribution to Mademoiselle (January 1969) is now available to borrow through the Internet Archive. In it, she writes of her evolving perspective on the nonviolent movement and of what she then saw as the promise of Black Power.
Newspaper & Magazine Writing by Anne Moody
In The News
News Items Featuring Anne Moody 1963-1970
Note: Reviews of Coming of Age in Mississippi and Mr. Death are on the WRITING page.
Brief Online Biographies
Short Summaries of Anne Moody's Life and Work