In this paper, the author outlines the results of a research study conducted on one class cohort, focusing on the impacts of teaching Black women's history through Anne Moody's 1968 memoir, "Coming of Age in Mississippi," on their understandings of race and the experiences of Black women. Specifically, Moody's memoir provides a rich backdrop to deeply engage with: (1) how race works to shape material consequences and human welfare; (2) the experiences of Black women during and prior to the Civil Rights Movement; and (3) the limits of the Movement's "success." This study reveals how history students demonstrated understanding of the nuanced, intersectional experiences of one Black American woman to better understand the complexities of the Civil Rights Movement (CRM). This, in turn, provides a starting point for developing robust knowledge of and empathy for the experiences of marginalized people--past and present. The results of this study can be applied to future scholarship and curriculum development for a variety of secondary and post-secondary history classes.