Annie Bell Robinson Devine was a no-nonsense civil rights activist. Born in Canton, Mississippi, Devine was the trailblazer behind the voter registration movement in Canton and Madison County. When she began in 1963, fewer than 100 of the county’s 10,000 Black adults were registered. She was a soft-spoken woman with a ready smile, whose commitment to change ran deep. In 1964, Annie Bell Devine, Fannie Lou Hamer and Victoria Gray Adams became the first black women to speak before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Local actor Georgia Cohran portrays Devine in the upcoming production, “Walking in Their Footsteps,” on Wednesday, March 16, at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Tougaloo College in the Bennie G. Thompson Center Auditorium. A Q&A follows the 10:00 a.m. program. The performance is free of charge. Please share this post and upcoming ones on your timelines. Thank you for your support! #womenshistorymonth #blackhistory#blackhistoryplus #blackhistory365