Walter P. Carter
Encyclopedia
Walter Percival Carter (April 29, 1923 - July 31, 1971) was a civil rights
activist and a central figure in Baltimore’s civil rights movement, organizing demonstrations against discrimination throughout Maryland
. A hospital, an elementary school, a recreation center, a college library and a day care center in Baltimore are named for him.
. He received his bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T where he participated in voter registration, the debate team, and was a member of the Progressive Party. He was well liked by his classmates, and admired for his keen intellect and unusual sense of humor. Carter obtained a Master's Degree
in Social Work (MSW) at Howard University
. While studying at Howard, he met young Stokely Carmichael
and the two became friends.
veteran. As chairman of the local chapter of Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE), he was an organizer massive and aggressive campaigns, including the 1960 Freedom Rides to the Eastern Shore of Maryland
, Gwynn Oak Park, Howard Johnson Chain, and other eating establishments along Routes 40, 1, 150, and 50; apartment buildings, hotels, and other public accommodations throughout Maryland. Maryland coordinator of the March on Washington in 1963. He was a coordinator of the massive Federated Civil Rights Organization march, of more than 3,000, to protest segregation in housing in 1965.
In 1966, he and five other CORE members formed Activists for Fair Housing, later shortened to Activists, Inc. That year, the Apartment House Owners Association of Maryland was forced to open facilities to all. In the late 1960s, Carter convinced the Community Chest, now known as the United Way of Central Maryland, to fund grass roots organizations with African American constituents, such as Echo House. Carter protested segregated housing and poor living conditions that African Americans faced in Baltimore in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. He organized protest marches, often taking the fight to the homes of the whites who owned the segregated housing.
Carter was appointed by mayor Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III
, to head the Community Action Agency (CAA). But, the Baltimore City Council
voted 10-8 on September 30 to not confirm Carter's appointment. According to news accounts, William Donald Schaefer
complained that Carter was "too radical", and would move the agency forward at a pace at which the city was not yet ready. Due to Carters rejection, 12 of 21 members of the Community Action Committee, three top members of the Urban Coalition including Parren J. Mitchell resigned from their positions in demonstration of protest to the rejection of the nomination of Walter Carter.
In 1963, Carter created the William L. Moore Foundation, for fellow CORE activist and Baltimorean William L. Moore. Moore was marching to the mansion of the Alabama state Governor to deliver a letter. While embarking on this lone march on April 23, 1963 in Gadsden, Alabama
, Moore was shot in the head twice and later found by a motorist passing by. The letter that Moore intending on giving to the Governor was later found and never delivered to the Governor of Alabama.
's Union Baptist Church in Baltimore. The previous day, Carter had won a court battle against Morris Goldseker
. Goldseker had sought an injunction against Carter, who had had been picketing and leading protests outside Goldseker's office, calling on him to "Stop the Black Tax", referring to the excessive fees charged in his rent-to-own schemes in an effort to scam blacks out of their rights to homeownership. Goldseker had a notorious history of also engaging in a practice known as Blockbusting
. Walter Carter protested against these and other discriminatory housing practices.
Congressman Parren Mitchell
added this to the Congressional Record
:
The Walter P. Carter Mental Health Hospital was established on 630 West Fayette Street in Baltimore in 1976 in Carter's honor. That hospital closed in 2009. Many of its outpatient services were moved to a building operated by the University of Maryland Medical Center on 701 West Pratt Street. That building was renamed the Walter P. Carter Center, and its dedication occurred on January 5, 2010. There is also a day care center, a public school and a college library in Baltimore named for Carter.
Every year, the children at the Walter P. Carter Elementary School participate in a "Walter P. Carter Day" program where they come up with different ways of celebrating his legacy.
, is an attorney and member of the Maryland House of Delegates
. Carter's elder daughter, Judith Lynn, is married to Baltimore City circuit court judge Sylvester B. Cox and together they have two daughters, Lindsey and Erin. Lindsey Carter Cox, so named in honor of her grandfather, is a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
majoring in Business Administration, and is scheduled to graduate in May 2009. Erin Taylor Cox, the younger of the granddaughters, was the All City Volleyball Champion in 2008, and is, currently a sophomore at Morgan State University
in Baltimore where she is a member of the volleyball team. She is Scheduled to graduate in 2012.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist and a central figure in Baltimore’s civil rights movement, organizing demonstrations against discrimination throughout Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. A hospital, an elementary school, a recreation center, a college library and a day care center in Baltimore are named for him.
Background
Carter was the seventh of nine children born to Carrie P. and Walter Carter Sr. in Monroe, North CarolinaMonroe, North Carolina
Monroe is a city in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 36,397 as of the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Union County and is also part of the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metropolitan area.-Geography:...
. He received his bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T where he participated in voter registration, the debate team, and was a member of the Progressive Party. He was well liked by his classmates, and admired for his keen intellect and unusual sense of humor. Carter obtained a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Social Work (MSW) at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. While studying at Howard, he met young Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
and the two became friends.
Social activist
Carter led voter registration drives in the South, was a World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran. As chairman of the local chapter of Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE), he was an organizer massive and aggressive campaigns, including the 1960 Freedom Rides to the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Eastern Shore of Maryland
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a territorial part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominately on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. The origin of term Eastern Shore was derived to distinguish a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western...
, Gwynn Oak Park, Howard Johnson Chain, and other eating establishments along Routes 40, 1, 150, and 50; apartment buildings, hotels, and other public accommodations throughout Maryland. Maryland coordinator of the March on Washington in 1963. He was a coordinator of the massive Federated Civil Rights Organization march, of more than 3,000, to protest segregation in housing in 1965.
In 1966, he and five other CORE members formed Activists for Fair Housing, later shortened to Activists, Inc. That year, the Apartment House Owners Association of Maryland was forced to open facilities to all. In the late 1960s, Carter convinced the Community Chest, now known as the United Way of Central Maryland, to fund grass roots organizations with African American constituents, such as Echo House. Carter protested segregated housing and poor living conditions that African Americans faced in Baltimore in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. He organized protest marches, often taking the fight to the homes of the whites who owned the segregated housing.
Carter was appointed by mayor Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III
Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III
Thomas D'Alesandro III was Mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971. He is the brother of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and son of former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr...
, to head the Community Action Agency (CAA). But, the Baltimore City Council
Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its nearly 700,000 citizens. Baltimore has fourteen single-member City Council districts and representatives are elected for a four-year term. To qualify for a position on the Council, a person must be...
voted 10-8 on September 30 to not confirm Carter's appointment. According to news accounts, William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer
William Donald Schaefer was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. A Democrat, he was mayor of Baltimore from 1971 to 1987, the 58th Governor of Maryland from January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995, and the Comptroller of...
complained that Carter was "too radical", and would move the agency forward at a pace at which the city was not yet ready. Due to Carters rejection, 12 of 21 members of the Community Action Committee, three top members of the Urban Coalition including Parren J. Mitchell resigned from their positions in demonstration of protest to the rejection of the nomination of Walter Carter.
In 1963, Carter created the William L. Moore Foundation, for fellow CORE activist and Baltimorean William L. Moore. Moore was marching to the mansion of the Alabama state Governor to deliver a letter. While embarking on this lone march on April 23, 1963 in Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
, Moore was shot in the head twice and later found by a motorist passing by. The letter that Moore intending on giving to the Governor was later found and never delivered to the Governor of Alabama.
Legacy
Carter died on July 31, 1971, as he was giving a report to the Black United Front, at Rev. Vernon DobsonVernon Dobson
Reverend Vernon Nathaniel Dobson, born October 29, 1923, is a Baptist Minister and civil rights activist in Baltimore, Maryland.-Early years:...
's Union Baptist Church in Baltimore. The previous day, Carter had won a court battle against Morris Goldseker
Morris Goldseker
Morris Goldseker was a real estate business tycoon, broker, and philanthropist. He was President and Founder of M. Goldseker Real Estate Company, a Baltimore-based real-estate brokerage and services company, and is the founder of the Morris Goldseker Foundation...
. Goldseker had sought an injunction against Carter, who had had been picketing and leading protests outside Goldseker's office, calling on him to "Stop the Black Tax", referring to the excessive fees charged in his rent-to-own schemes in an effort to scam blacks out of their rights to homeownership. Goldseker had a notorious history of also engaging in a practice known as Blockbusting
Blockbusting
Blockbusting is a business practice of U.S. real estate agents and building developers meant to encourage white property owners to sell their houses at a loss, by implying that racial, ethnic, or religious minorities — Blacks, Hispanics, Jews et al. — were moving into their previously racially...
. Walter Carter protested against these and other discriminatory housing practices.
Congressman Parren Mitchell
Parren Mitchell
Parren James Mitchell , a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 7th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland....
added this to the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
:
Mr. Speaker, the State of Maryland last week, lost one of the most able civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leaders in the person of Walter P. Carter. Expressions of sympathy have come from across the nation and around the world. I think this should be a very special lesson to this House to learn that there are whites who recognize the contributions of a man who articulates black identity and black awareness.
The Walter P. Carter Mental Health Hospital was established on 630 West Fayette Street in Baltimore in 1976 in Carter's honor. That hospital closed in 2009. Many of its outpatient services were moved to a building operated by the University of Maryland Medical Center on 701 West Pratt Street. That building was renamed the Walter P. Carter Center, and its dedication occurred on January 5, 2010. There is also a day care center, a public school and a college library in Baltimore named for Carter.
Every year, the children at the Walter P. Carter Elementary School participate in a "Walter P. Carter Day" program where they come up with different ways of celebrating his legacy.
Family
Carter's wife, Zerita "Joy" Richardson Carter, a native-Baltimorean, and retired public school teacher, continues to reside at the family home in Ashburton. Carter's younger daughter, Jill Priscilla CarterJill P. Carter
Jill P. Carter is an American politician who represents Maryland's 41st legislative district of Baltimore City in the Maryland House of Delegates. She was elected to the Maryland legislature after defeating four incumbents in the Democratic primary that September...
, is an attorney and member of the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
. Carter's elder daughter, Judith Lynn, is married to Baltimore City circuit court judge Sylvester B. Cox and together they have two daughters, Lindsey and Erin. Lindsey Carter Cox, so named in honor of her grandfather, is a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
majoring in Business Administration, and is scheduled to graduate in May 2009. Erin Taylor Cox, the younger of the granddaughters, was the All City Volleyball Champion in 2008, and is, currently a sophomore at Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
in Baltimore where she is a member of the volleyball team. She is Scheduled to graduate in 2012.