Anne Moody, the author of the autobiography “Coming of Age in Mississippi”, writes about the spring of 1963, in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Anne Moody was in her early twenties, in her first year of college, when the NAACP recruited her to help them. Moody was very willing to help them, so much so that she participated in a sit in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. She and three other civil rights workers sat at a counter and began a protest. The group was denied service but that did not stop their protest. A large group of white students surrounded the group and began to insult them. The attack began initially with words and quickly moved to a physical altercation. All of the condiments from the counter were smeared all over them as the verbal assault continued. A short time later Anne Moody was ripped from her seat and physically pulled, by her hair, to the door. The attack finally ended for the group when Dr. Beittel, the president of Tougaloo College, arrived and helped them to safety. In “The Coming of Age in Mississippi,” Moody demonstrates her independence by confronting racial hatred without fear and playing a key role in the American civil rights movement in the 1960’s. …show more content…
Moody was prepared to stand her ground, even if that meant going against the law. Moody knew if no one stood up for segregation, nothing would ever change. Moody says, “Seconds before 11:15 we were occupying three seats at the previously segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter” (611). Anna Moody and three other NAACP members were ready to stand for what they believed in; they didn’t think of anything except for freedom from segregation. Moody showed no fear in sitting at the counter, she knew what would happen to her, but she didn’t