Manny

History Paper

Woman activists first used the phrase "the personal is political" during the women's rights movements in the mid 1950's. These women were called "second-wave feminists" and they created great progress for woman in this country. What exactly does the phrase "the personal is political" mean? Well it has many meanings, which include; the right to vote, the right to receive equal wage, the right to choose, the right to financial independence, not to mention hundreds of other meanings. Another way to look at it is to discover how a personal issue is already a political issue. Anne Moody's early life was a rough one, with many different things preventing her from having a normal childhood. However it were those experiences that helped Moody through out her life in her early years as well as her adulthood.

Essie Mae's (Moody) childhood begins in a time period that was unspecified in the book; it may have been during the civil war period. A major event in Essie Mae's early childhood is when her cousin, George Lee, burns down their house; however instead of taking the blame he blames it on Moody. Moody's father spanked her with a piece of floorboard from the burnt house. Essie Mae states "the licks came hard one after the other (Moody, 9)". This is an instance where Moody gets punished for a crime she didn't commit, and it opens the doors to the rest of the book where injustice and autocracy will always creep up on her.

Awhile later Essie Mae's parents had separated and her mother was pregnant while the father left with a "yellow woman", which is a woman who is not completely black. During this time she realized something she never noticed before, and that was her mother was a very strong woman. Her mother found a job despite the fact that she was pregnant. She made enough money to put food on the table, a roof over their head, and send them to school. This has a great influence on Moody's strength through out the book; it helps Essie Mae become a stronger person. Mae noticed that her mother could no longer keep making the money to support her family, so Moody decided to get a job.

This job was a little different than what was planned for her. Raymond, Essie Mae's mother's new boyfriend, had a small cotton farm where Essie Mae worked for one summer, however she dreaded working there. She stated that "I knew if I got involved in farming, I'd be just like Mama and the rest of them, and that I would never have the chance (Moody, 80)." After working at that job Essie Mae found a job working for a poor white woman, Mrs. Jean, who treated her very well. However her mother, Mrs. Burke treated Mae terribly. She made Mae do things over and over again, until she felt that they were done right. One day Mae stood up for herself and began to disobey Mrs. Burke, eventually Mae ended up on top and Mrs. Burke stopped hassling her over doing everything her way. This reflected how Essie Mae's strength and stubbornness is strong in her later struggle.

Essie Mae spent a lot of her time working, however she was also required to go to school. Essie Mae was an academic; she was a very bright student. During her 8th grade year she won the crown for Homecoming queen. During her 8th grade year she also gained a lot of experience organizing people during her fundraising efforts, this experience would lead her to become a successful organizer during her Black Empowerment Movement. Attending high school, Essie Mae gains a world of knowledge about the NAACP, which was not talked about in public at the time. Mae first learns about the NAACP from one of her employers who was having a "Guild" meeting. Mae than asked her mother what the NAACP was, however her mother told her "never to mention that word around Mrs. Burke or no other white person (Moody, 133)." This left Essie Mae wondering, she couldn't sleep at night, so the next morning she asked her home room teacher Mrs. Rice, who explained to her the meaning behind the NAACP. Mae's quest for knowledge and understanding during this segment carries on through out the rest of the book as well. She never backs down from a task that is put in front of her.

After graduating from high school, Mae attended college. Her college of choice was Natchez, a community college near home. However after two years there she transferred to Tougaloo, which is the top black college in Mississippi. During her time at Tougaloo, Mae experiences a number of new things. The main experience that changed her life was her joining of the NAACP and the black empowerment movement, something her family especially mother dreaded back home. This is where it is made apparent that Mae is different from her mother.