From the Mississippi Delta

by Endesha Ida Mae Holland

Holland's mother, a respected "granny midwife," instilled in her children a proud heritage: to have a dream, to aspire to "be Somebody." But in a time and place where poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment were the norm for black people, the advice wasn't easy to live by. After being raped by a white employer on her eleventh birthday, Holland - known as "Cat" - began to rebel openly, turning to prostitution and running into trouble with the law. Little did she know how dramatically her life would change the day she followed a prospective client into what turned out to be the local headquarters of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The stranger was Robert Moses, who had been instrumental in bringing the Civil Rights Movement to Greenwood. With a drive to register black voters in full swing, SNCC desperately needed the help of literate local people. Suddenly the "troublemaker" found herself becoming a leader, thanks to the fearlessness and determination that had only gotten he