BAHAMAS CHRONICLE EDITOR’S NOTE: I absolutely had to share this wonderful article posted on Facebook by African and Black History Group with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean
Emmalyn Paulette Moody (born February 17, 1946), known professionally as Lynne Moody, is an American film and television actress. Beginning her career in the early 1970s, Moody is best known for her roles as Curtis–Taylor in the ABC television sitcom That’s My Mama (1974–1975), Irene Harvey in Roots (1977), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Patricia Williams in Knots Landing (1988–1990).
On Dec. 10, 1964, then- 18-year-old Moody gave a baby girl up for adoption, knowing that she couldn’t care for her. In fact, during the delivery, a towel was placed over Moody’s eyes in order to avoid seeing her daughter and thus becoming attached. The teen was then sent away to live in a home for unwed mothers, never knowing the fate of the child she gave up.
On June 2, 2018, Lynne Moody received one of the best belated Mother’s Day gifts a mom could ask for — a daughter.
Lisa Wright knew from childhood that she was adopted but was always curious as to the makeup of her ethnicity. So, she decided to try 23andMe DNA testing and within a short time got her results.
The name Carlton Moody came up as an uncle. People can contact one another through the website, and Wright reached out to her possible match.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Wright said. “I didn’t know if I was not wanted to be found. I was very cautious.”
Carlton Moody responded and said he’d like to talk. Moody and Wright connected that Friday and Moody asked her what she knew about herself, starting with her birth date.
“I told him that I was adopted as a baby and that my mother was very young and had come to Los Angeles because she wanted to make it in Hollywood,” Wright said. “She knew she loved me but couldn’t take care of me. Before I could finish, he stopped me and said, ‘Lisa, you are my niece.’ Now, I’m in my office, sweating and crying. He said he knew exactly when his sister had her baby and then said, ‘As of this minute, you are my favorite niece.’”
Moody told Wright that her mother never stopped loving her and was always looking for her, adding that she never married or had additional children. Finding her was made difficult because Lynne Moody had given up all rights and was given no information.
Wright asked Carlton Moody if her mother was still alive and he said yes and added that she too was living in Los Angeles. An hour into the conversation Wright finally asked her mother’s name.
“When he said it, I said, ‘Wait a minute, I know that name,’” Wright said. “Sitting at my desk, I Googled Lynne Moody and when her picture popped up, I almost wanted to cry because it was the first time anyone had looked like me. I then realized that I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn’t even realize it. It was amazing information but it felt like a dream.”
Lynne Moody made the initial call to her daughter and the two talked for quite some time before deciding to meet — the next day.
“For 54 years I had to learn how to deal with the fact that I had a daughter out there, not knowing if she was dead or alive.”
Moody said every time she attempted to find Wright, she hit a dead end. She even asked for advice from Alex Haley, the author of “Roots.” He wasn’t able to make any headway either because of the confidential paperwork Lynne had signed after the birth.
When Moody and Wright met, the mother and daughter embraced and cried. And since then there has been nothing but happiness, fun and new memories between the two, including a family reunion in Sedona. Wright got to meet many of her aunts, uncles and cousins and Moody has gotten to know her grandson, Nick.
Sadly, Wright’s adoptive parents died in 2006 and 2010, but were supportive of her desire to find her biological mother.
NOTE: Click on the link below for a DAILY BLAST LIVE news report on Actress Lynne Moody and the Daughter She Gave Up for Adoption in 1964:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYmbkGwP4Zg
