Allene Carter

Background

Carter was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Jesse Vaughan, a labor leader who fought for black workers.

Education

Carter is a graduate of El Camino College.

Career

Carter learned activism from her father and was a participant of the 1959 march on Washington for the desegregation of schools. As an adult, she became a steward in her local union and a 911 dispatcher in her community.

Carter married Edward, the eldest son of Sergeant Eddie Carter, a black soldier who didn't receive his due until long after his death. Carter knew the father-in-law she had never met had been a war hero, but it wasn't until after he was presented with a posthumous Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton in 1997 that she set out to discover the facts surrounding his service, and to understand why he had been deprived of what was rightfully his - acknowledgment of his outstanding service to his country. It took Carter more than three years of research, and her tribute to Eddie, Honoring Sergeant Carter: Redeeming a Black World War II Hero's Legacy, finally raised him to a place in history he so richly deserves. In order to reach her goal, she had to gain access to federal files through the Freedom of Information Act and sort through the hidden records of military intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to understand to what extent her father-in-law had been the victim of bigotry and McCarthyism. Booklist reviewer Vernon Ford wrote that Carter's account is "packed with jewels of America's diverse racial and cultural history too often hidden from view."

U.S. News & World Report chronicled Carter's struggle to uncover the true facts. The United States Army officially apologized to Eddie's widow, Mildred, and the family, in 1999 and presented them with a corrected record of his service along with three other medals for which he qualified but never received. They are the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal, and the American Campaign Medal. Also in 1999, President Clinton wrote a letter to Mildred, in which he said, "Had I known when I presented this Medal of Honor two years ago, I would have personally apologized to you and your family."

On February 17, 2000, the California Military Museum in Sacramento opened an exhibit in Eddie Carter's honor, and on June 12, 2001, a ship of the United States Navy was named for him. His daughter-in-law broke the ceremonial bottle of champagne over the ship's bow.

A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that Carter's "dogged determination to uncover the truth and correct the record is a proud testament to her background as a union activist," while a Kirkus Reviews contributor felt that the authors "do a commendable job of showing just how righteous Carter's cause was, bringing deserved honor to their subject."

Achievements

• Carter is best known for her book on her father-in-law, Honoring Sergeant Carter. Thanks to this book, California Military Museum in Sacramento opened an exhibit in Eddie Carter's honor, and in 2001, a ship of the United States Navy was named for him.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Honoring Sergeant Carter: A Family's Journey to Uncover the Truth About an American Hero

    (Allene Carter's father-in-law was a decorated veteran. Ye...)

    2003

Connections

Carter married Edward, the eldest son of Sergeant Eddie Carter. The couple has two children, Santalia and Corey.

Father:

Jesse Vaughan

Spouse:

Edward Carter

Daughter:

Santalia Carter

Son:

Corey Carter

References

• Contemporary Authors Volume 221
  2004