Mandy Carter papers, 1970-2023

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Summary

Creator:
Carter, Mandy and Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Abstract:
Mandy Carter is a self-described "southern out black lesbian social justice activist" who has been based in Durham, NC since 1982. She has been involved in peace, social, racial, and LGBT organizing at the local, state, regional, and national levels since 1968. This collection contains material related to her work as a grassroots organizer and multi-issue social justice activist.
Extent:
167.75 Linear Feet
Language:
Material in English.
Collection ID:
RL.00195

Background

Scope and content:

This collection include files related to Mandy Carter's work as a grassroots organizer and multi-issue social justice activist, with particular emphasis on peace activism, women's music and culture, and African American and LGBT issues.

The Organizations and Projects series includes files from organizations and projects with which Carter was closely involved. The series is divided into subseries according to organization or project: Bread and Roses, War Resisters League, Ladyslipper, Inc., National Lesbian Conference, Association of Women's Music and Culture Conference, North Carolina Senate Vote '90, Real Women Productions, Rhythm Fest, Human Rights Campaign, North Carolina Mobilization '96, Democratic National Committee, National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum (including Equal Partners in Faith), Ad Hoc Committee for an Open Process, Floridians Representing Equity and Equality, Florida Vote/Equal Voice, Freedom to Marry Project, Southerners on New Ground, Old Lesbians Organizing for Change Conference, National Black Justice Coalition, and Other Organizations and Projects.

The Gigs and Events series includes a day-by-day account of Carter's work as a multi-issue activist through files documenting her speaking engagements and attendance at conferences, rallies, marches, retreats, meetings, and other types of gatherings.

The bulk of the Administrative Files series includes communications and mixed materials from affinity groups, and the Subject Files series includes a small set of files related to issues relevant to Carter's activism.

There is significant overlap across series, with Carter often filing materials related to different organizations or projects together, especially those she was involved with around the same time.

Biographical / historical:

Mandy Carter is a self-described "southern out black lesbian social justice activist" who has been based in Durham, NC since 1982. She has been involved in peace, social, racial, and LGBT organizing at the local, state, regional, and national levels since 1968.

Date Event
1948 November 2
Born, Albany, NY
1948-1955
Albany Children's Home, Albany, NY
1956-1959
Foster care, Chatham Center, NY
1960-1966
Schenectady Children's Home, Schenectady, NY
1966
Graduated, Mt. Pleasant High School, Schenectady, NY
1966-1967
Attended Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY
1967
Moved to New York City
1967
Volunteered at Timothy Leary's League for Spiritual Discovery
1968
Attended the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence, Carmel Valley, CA
1968
Participated in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Poor People's Campaign
1969-1973
Staff, War Resisters League, Western Regional Office, San Francisco, CA
1974-1977
Director, War Resisters League, Los Angeles, CA
1978
Founder/Coordinator, Women's Military Counter-Recruiting Campaign, San Francisco, CA
1979-1982
Bartender, Maud's; Co-manager, Amelia's; Coordinator, Women's Outreach, Gay and Lesbian Gay Olympics I; San Francisco, CA
1982-1988
Staff, War Resisters League, Southeast Regional Office, Durham, NC
1986-1990
Founding Co-producer, Real Women Productions, Durham, NC
1989
Wholesale distributor sales, Ladyslipper Inc., Durham, NC
1990
Campaign Manager, North Carolina Senate Vote '90, Durham, NC
1990-1994
Founding Co-producer and Box Office Coordinator, Rhythm Fest
1992-1995
Staff, Human Rights Campaign and Founder/Coordinator, A National Call to Resist: Countering the Radical Right in Our Black Community, Washington, DC
1993
Co-founder, Southerners on New Ground
1995-1996
Founder/Campaign Manager, North Carolina Mobilization '96, Durham, NC
1996-2000
Member-at-Large, Democratic National Committee; served on the Black Caucus and the Gay and Lesbian Caucus
1997-1998
National Field Director, National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, Durham, NC
1998
Field Program Consultant, National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, Washington, DC
2000
Campaign Manager, Floridians Representing Equity and Equality, Tampa, FL
2000
Campaign Manager, Florida Vote/Equal Voice, Miami, FL
2001-2002
Consultant, Freedom to Marry Project, Boston, MA
2003
Founding board member, National Black Justice Coalition
2003-2005
Executive Director, Southerners on New Ground, Durham, NC
2005
Nomination, 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize
2008
National Co-chair, Obama LGBT Pride, Durham, NC
2012
Inducted into International Federation of Black Prides/Center for Black Equity
2013
Bayard Rustin Commemoration Project National Coordinator, Washington, DC
Acquisition information:
The Mandy Carter papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library as gifts from Mandy Carter from 2007-2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Stephanie Barnwell, Kate Collins, and Megan Lewis, July 2013.

Encoded by Stephanie Barnwell, Erin Brown, S. Abigail Seeskin, and Megan Lewis, October 2013.

Accession 2025-0043 added by Leah Tams, July 2025.

Accessions described in this finding aid: 2007-0047, 2012-0097, 2013-0183, 2018-0130, and 2025-0043.

Arrangement:

The Mandy Carter papers are organized into four series: Organizations and Major Projects, Gigs and Events, Administrative Files, and Subject Files.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mandy Carter papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m17s4w