Coming Of Age In Mississippi

            Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody is the story of her life as a poor black girl growing into adulthood. She overcomes obstacles such as discrimination and hunger as she struggles to survive childhood. As she matured into an adult she became actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She fought for human rights, dignity, justice, equality, and freedom. This book is filled with examples of hatred that existed between blacks and whites in the 1960s and 70s. Anne Moody writes about her feelings of intolerance for racism, of her desire to speak out when white people assert their power and privilege, and of her yearning to take action and change society. She writes about her frustration with others in the black community who are submissive, who do not raise their voices, and those who lived in fear. Her desire for change alienates her from almost everyone, especially her mother. Her life is a living chronicle of the changes that took place historically, and that would help create the conditions for a mass movement working for the change. In this book Ann talks of the feelings, emotions and events going on in people's lives. She spoke of what everyone thought of, but were too afraid to voice. Moody's envisions as a girl working in white women's homes, living with racial violence, the fear of white violence and oppression from white society inspired her to become involved in the Civil Rights movement. .
             The civil rights movement was a time when people who where oppressed for many years rose up against the odds and achieved their freedom. The civil rights movement was a period of time when blacks attempted to gain their constitutional rights of which they were being deprived. An admirable aspect of the civil rights movement was the unachievable victory that the African Americans sought after and made. Through determination, persistence, and courage, the African Americans won their rights to be equal as the whites were.