Winson Hudson
Encyclopedia
Winson Hudson, born Anger Winson Gates (November 17, 1916, Carthage, Mississippi
- May 1, 2004) was a civil rights
activist.
. Her mother died, at age 44, during childbirth when Winson was eight years old. Winson quit school in eleventh grade when she married Leroy Cleo Hudson (died 1971) in 1936. After obtaining a teaching certification, Windson taught school in Leake County, Mississippi
from 1949 to 1951. She taught first, second and third grade classes at Bay Spring Grammar School. Later she became Lunchroom Manager at Harmony School.
With help from Medgar Evers
an NAACP charter was formed in Leake County in 1961: Clara Dotson was president and Winson Hudson was Vice President. In 1961, with assistance from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Derrick Bell
, the Hudson sisters started a lawsuit to desegregate Leake County schools. The lawsuit was decided in 1964 with the judge ordering the Leake County schools be desegregated one grade at time starting with first grade. Dovie Hudson's daughter, Diane Hudson, named as plaintiff in the lawsuit, was in high school and not eligible to desegregate. Debra Lewis, daughter of A. J. and Minnie Lewis allowed their daughter, Debra Lewis (died February 4, 2001, aged forty-three) to be the first black to enroll in a Leake County public school. Hudson continued to be involved in lawsuits against Mississippi
authorities in her fight to keep black school
s open. As a result of her involvement with the civil rights movement, she and her family were often the target of white violence.
In February 1965 Winson appeared before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to speak about harassment of blacks attempting to register to vote. Winson began trying to obtain a voter registration card in 1937 and it was not until 1962 when she and her sister, Dovie Hudson, passed a required literacy test and were granted voting privileges.
Winson served in a variety of roles when Leake County's first Head Start Program was established in Harmony in 1965. In 1967, along with Mississippi State NAACP President Aaron Henry
, Charles Evers
and other NAACP members integrated the Holiday Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi
.
Winson achieved substantial national recognition in her later life. She was a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention
in Florida
. In October 1978 Winson was selected as one of three black leaders from southern states to have lunch with President Jimmy Carter
. In April 1983 Hudson was presented with the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Community Service from Mississippi Governor William Winter
. In 1989 The Mississippi Democratic party presented her with a Fannie Lou Hamer
Award. Winson and her sister, Dovie were featured in I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, a photo essay book by Brian Lanker. Winson attended a gallery exhibition of the project in Washington, D.C. in 1989 at the Corcoran Gallery. In 1994 Winson testified on behalf of Mississippi's poor citizens before President Bill Clinton
's Health Reform Task Force Committee in Washington, D.C.
Hudson published her autobiography in 2002 as Mississippi Harmony: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002). It gives Winson Hudson's story in her own words, supplemented with historical information at the start of each chapter by Constance W. Curry; it includes a foreword by Derrick Bell. (Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens speaks of helping Winson edit "The Autobiography of Mrs. Winson Hudson, a Black Woman of Mississippi".) Winson recalls the struggle of her early days as an activist: "It was a lonely walk", due to open hostility from the white community, as well as opposition from black citizens.
Annie Maude, Winson's daughter, had two sons, Donovan and Kempton Horton. Winson had a great-grandson, Ryan and two great-granddaughters, Tyler and Lauren from her sons and their wives, Dionne and Lisa.
Carthage, Mississippi
Carthage is a city in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,637 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Leake County....
- May 1, 2004) was a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist.
Life
Anger Winson Gates was the tenth child of thirteen children born to John Gates and Emma Laura Kirkland Turner. She was born and raised in Carthage, MississippiCarthage, Mississippi
Carthage is a city in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,637 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Leake County....
. Her mother died, at age 44, during childbirth when Winson was eight years old. Winson quit school in eleventh grade when she married Leroy Cleo Hudson (died 1971) in 1936. After obtaining a teaching certification, Windson taught school in Leake County, Mississippi
Leake County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 20,940 people, 7,611 households, and 5,563 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 8,585 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
from 1949 to 1951. She taught first, second and third grade classes at Bay Spring Grammar School. Later she became Lunchroom Manager at Harmony School.
With help from Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers
Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...
an NAACP charter was formed in Leake County in 1961: Clara Dotson was president and Winson Hudson was Vice President. In 1961, with assistance from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Derrick Bell
Derrick Bell
Derrick Albert Bell, Jr. was the first tenured African-American professor of Law at Harvard University, and largely credited as the originator of Critical Race Theory. He was the former dean of the University of Oregon School of Law.- Education and early career :Born in the Hill District of...
, the Hudson sisters started a lawsuit to desegregate Leake County schools. The lawsuit was decided in 1964 with the judge ordering the Leake County schools be desegregated one grade at time starting with first grade. Dovie Hudson's daughter, Diane Hudson, named as plaintiff in the lawsuit, was in high school and not eligible to desegregate. Debra Lewis, daughter of A. J. and Minnie Lewis allowed their daughter, Debra Lewis (died February 4, 2001, aged forty-three) to be the first black to enroll in a Leake County public school. Hudson continued to be involved in lawsuits against Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
authorities in her fight to keep black school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s open. As a result of her involvement with the civil rights movement, she and her family were often the target of white violence.
In February 1965 Winson appeared before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to speak about harassment of blacks attempting to register to vote. Winson began trying to obtain a voter registration card in 1937 and it was not until 1962 when she and her sister, Dovie Hudson, passed a required literacy test and were granted voting privileges.
Winson served in a variety of roles when Leake County's first Head Start Program was established in Harmony in 1965. In 1967, along with Mississippi State NAACP President Aaron Henry
Aaron Henry
Aaron Henry was an American civil rights leader, politician, and head of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP. He was one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party which tried to seat their delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.-Early life:Henry was born in Dublin,...
, Charles Evers
Charles Evers
James Charles Evers is a prominent American civil rights advocate. The older brother of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, Charles Evers is a leading civil rights spokesman within the Republican Party in his native Mississippi. In 1969 he became the first African American since the...
and other NAACP members integrated the Holiday Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
.
Winson achieved substantial national recognition in her later life. She was a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention
1976 Democratic National Convention
The 1976 Democratic National Convention met at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from July 12 to July 15, 1976. The assembled United States Democratic Party delegates at the convention nominated Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia for President and Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota for Vice...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In October 1978 Winson was selected as one of three black leaders from southern states to have lunch with President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. In April 1983 Hudson was presented with the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Community Service from Mississippi Governor William Winter
William Winter (politician)
William Forrest Winter is an American politician from Mississippi. He served as the 58th Governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984 as a Democrat. He is known for his strong support of public education, racial reconciliation, and historic preservation. Winter is best remembered for the passage of...
. In 1989 The Mississippi Democratic party presented her with a Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader....
Award. Winson and her sister, Dovie were featured in I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, a photo essay book by Brian Lanker. Winson attended a gallery exhibition of the project in Washington, D.C. in 1989 at the Corcoran Gallery. In 1994 Winson testified on behalf of Mississippi's poor citizens before President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's Health Reform Task Force Committee in Washington, D.C.
Hudson published her autobiography in 2002 as Mississippi Harmony: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002). It gives Winson Hudson's story in her own words, supplemented with historical information at the start of each chapter by Constance W. Curry; it includes a foreword by Derrick Bell. (Alice Walker's In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens speaks of helping Winson edit "The Autobiography of Mrs. Winson Hudson, a Black Woman of Mississippi".) Winson recalls the struggle of her early days as an activist: "It was a lonely walk", due to open hostility from the white community, as well as opposition from black citizens.
Annie Maude, Winson's daughter, had two sons, Donovan and Kempton Horton. Winson had a great-grandson, Ryan and two great-granddaughters, Tyler and Lauren from her sons and their wives, Dionne and Lisa.
External links
- An interview with John Rachal for the Mississippi Oral History Program of The University of Southern Mississippi
- Obituary
- A http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum-reconstruction/index.cgi/md/read/id/130 Period Research Form by Elaine Woo, Times Staff Writer