The Transformation of Ida Mae Holland, Patricia A. Montgomery

Ida Mae Holland was a playwright and civil rights activist born in Greenwood, Mississippi. At age 11 she was raped, and she subsequently became a prostitute. In her late teens, Holland followed a young man to his office, hoping he would be a customer. That young man was a volunteer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) who registered African American voters. This encounter transformed Holland’s life. With encouragement from SNCC volunteers, Holland obtained her high school equivalency diploma and went on to earn a PhD in American studies. She became a professor and playwright, and her most famous play, From the Mississippi Delta, tells her life story.