Interview with Joe Carter, 1964

Interview Summary

Reverend Joe Carter was an African American minister from Mississippi who was among the first Black men in his area to register to vote. Reverend Joe Carter recalls how he first became involved with the civil rights movement after meeting with two members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He was fifty-five years old when he decided that he was going to register to vote. He recalls getting lost in the courthouse because there were no signs for the Registrar's Office. After being confronted by a police officer, Carter was arrested before he could register. Carter describes his arrest and his short stay in jail where he spent most of the day without any water. Carter went back to the courthouse later and finally registered to vote. He describes the process of registration. This interview includes also includes a discussion between Robert Penn Warren and a man named Mr. Elie.

Interview Keyword

Voter registration Disenfranchised voters Louisiana Registrar's office Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Who Speaks for the Negro? (Book)

Interview LC Subject

African Americans--Civil rights Race relations

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.