I recently learned on the History of the Heartland Facebook page that the Decatur-Macon County Opportunity Corporation  removed the name Anna Waters from the Head Start program. As a former Anna Waters student I am deeply  saddened by DMCOC’s decision. Anna Waters has a rich and enduring legacy that is worth preserving. 

The following is a post from the Heartland FB page that does an excellent job of detailing Ms. Waters accomplishments and her enduring impact on Decatur. 

“In Decatur, when someone says, “Head Start,” they think “Anna Waters.” And when someone says, “Anna Waters,” they think “Head Start.” Those four words, “Anna Waters Head Start,” are welded tightly together in the community’s conscience. But Anna Waters' legacy is now in danger.

Anna Waters Head Start came into being when parents of children in the Decatur Head Start program requested the change in August 1971 because of all Waters had done for their children. The board quickly complied.

Anna Waters was born Anna Pryor in Decatur, one of 7 children, in 1908. Waters struggled with her identity as a Black woman when she was younger. In a 1976 article in the Decatur Herald, published two years after her death, she recalled looking for work in downtown stores, but said she soon discovered, "All I could do was spend my money. There was no job for me.”

She recalled riding on the bus and covering her hands because she was "ashamed of being black."

Waters credited Rev. E.A. Morgan of Church of the Living God for changing her perspective. “He taught us to be proud of ourselves and now I will die black and proud."

Her newfound confidence did not eliminate the bigotry she encountered. She recalled looking for a house and, upon finding one she liked, discovered it was “unavailable" after the owner figured out she was black.

Rather than being daunted by her experiences, she became involved in civic affairs in the 1950s and eventually became a community organizer for DMCOC - Decatur Macon County Opportunity Corporation.

She motivated her neighbors in the 1800 and 1900 blocks of North Clinton Avenue to clean up their homes and yards. She started organizing 12 Block Clubs and a Community Council of Block Clubs which were aimed at helping school-aged children.

But her legacy was established through Head Start. Mary Pipher, DMCOC director during Waters’ tenure, said her function was "making contacts and bringing us problems."

Rev. Morgan pointed to her activism as a case of someone who decided not "to keep their religion in church," as most people do, but "taking it to the streets of Decatur."

Waters retired in November 1971, saying she was "tired, tired." Her retirement came just a few months after the Decatur Head Start Center was christened the Anna Waters Head Start Center.

Dr. William Bodamer, a religion instructor at Millikin and a Head Start board member, said it was appropriate to make the name change because Waters was a symbol of what Head Start stands for. "That's what the center does. It gives children of all races a head start, and that was the sort of thing she stood for.”

Waters died Oct. 6, 1974, while praying at her church. A Herald editorial eulogized Waters as "a person of modest circumstances and talents who had quietly and effectively worked at the very roots of a community to help those who have no place else to turn."

In 2019 the Howard G. Buffett Foundation announced the funding of a new building for DMCOC on the Community Care Campus. The organization also decided to "rebrand" their services with this move, and Anna Waters name will be removed from the program. In our view, this decision reflects a lack of understanding and respect for Anna Waters and her decades-long legacy in Decatur. She deserves better.