Carter standing alongside Mary Hamilton, a member of the Harlem branch of the Congress of Racial Equality, in West Feliciana Parish in 1963.

Audio:

Part 1
Part 1

Notes:

Audio Note: Much of Tape 1 is difficult to hear.

Audio courtesy of the University of Kentucky

Joe Carter

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Joe Carter
Joe Carter Bio

Joe Carter (1909-?) was a minister and farmer. A native of Louisiana, Carter lived and worked in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. In August 1962 Carter attempted to register to vote and was incarcerated for 13 hours as a result. The following October, with the support of voter registration workers affiliated with the Congress of Racial Equality, Carter again attempted to register to vote. On October 17, 1963, he became the first African American registered to vote in West Feliciana Parish in 61 years.

Abstract

Carter opens the interview by discussing the grounds on which he claims some African Americans attempt to distinguish themselves from others. Lolis Elie (called Mr. Ely in the transcript), a New Orleans civil rights attorney at whose office Warren interviewed Carter, discusses Du Bois's theory of African Americans' double-consciousness, his opinions concerning Black Muslims, and his belief that white people in the United States do not recognize African Americans as human beings. Carter discusses his early involvement in the civil rights movement, when he attempted to register to vote. He describes in detail his arrest, his incarceration following his visit to the registrar of voters, and the difficulties he and others encountered in trying to secure his release. Carter also discusses his subsequent, successful effort to register.

Transcript

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