Essay | Coming of Age in Mississippi

As if growing up wasn't turbulent enough, Anne Moody grew up during a crucial time in American History. It was during this time that race and civil rights took center stage in her home state of Mississippi. Young women face many physical and emotional changes during their teenage years, regardless of when and where they grew up. However, for Anne Moody, and other young black women, there was the instability in race relations to deal with as well.

During her younger childhood years, Anne was never exposed to the reality of how blacks and whites truly got along. Fortunately for her, she was never the victim of a racially motivated attack. Therefore she never truly knew how bad it was. She was always surrounded with white people who saw the best in her, and treated her with equality. The white people she worked for, as a young child, gave...
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