Edward Carter is an established Black doctor in Detroit who becomes one of Ossian Sweet’s mentors. A member of Detroit’s talented tenth, Carter is active in the local NAACP branch; after the trials, he joins Reinhold Neibuhr’s blue ribbon commission on race relations in the city. Carter and his family live in an all-white neighborhood and he encourages Ossian’s decision to buy the house on Garland Avenue, despite the violence against John Fletcher, Vollington Bristol, Fleta Mathies, and fellow doctor Alexander Turner earlier in 1925. Although he proposes helping Turner and promises Ossian that he will join the crew defending the house on the nights of September 8th and 9th, Carter consistently fails to follow through on his promises to put his own body on the line.
Edward Carter Quotes in Arc of Justice
The Arc of Justice quotes below are all either spoken by Edward Carter or refer to Edward Carter. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5
Quotes
He could demand a new status. Rather than driving his old Model T […] he bought a brand-new Buick touring car, an automobile to match the fine machines of his senior colleagues parked outside Dunbar Memorial. There wasn’t any question that, after his time away, he’d rebuild his practice in Black Bottom. But instead of moving back to Palace Drugs, he rented a space a few blocks north of the pharmacy. It was just a storefront, right next door to a funeral home, hardly a reassuring sight for sick folk making their way to his waiting room, but for the first time in his career, Ossian had an office of his own, an indulgence perhaps, but also a sure sign of upward mobility.
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Edward Carter Character Timeline in Arc of Justice
The timeline below shows where the character Edward Carter appears in Arc of Justice. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Where Death Waits
...fear, Ossian didn’t want to disappoint Gladys or appear cowardly to colleagues, including Dr. Edward Carter, who specifically encouraged him to buy the house.
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...earlier in the summer. Nevertheless, friends and colleagues encouraged him to buy the house. Dr. Carter specifically told Ossian that white people were bullies who needed to be confronted. Gladys also...
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...necessary. He calls on his brothers Otis Sweet and Henry Sweet, and his friends Edward Carter, Julian Perry, William Davis, and John Latting for help.
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...house: Otis, Henry, Davis, Latting, Mack, Murray, and himself. Neither Julian Perry nor Dr. Edward Carter came—and Carter even called to beg off, indicating his fear of danger. The men arrange...
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Chapter 4: Uplift Me, Pride
...makes a few friends, including lawyer and fellow Howard alum Julian Perry and Dr. Edward Carter, a colleague and fellow Elk and Mason. Carter has the life Ossian wants in the...
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Ossian and Carter both work at Dunbar Memorial, a tiny, threadbare hospital founded by the city’s Black doctors...
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Chapter 5: White Houses
...education. A new generation of leaders have revitalized the local NAACP chapter, including Dr. Edward Carter and others of Ossian’s colleagues. On the night of the attack on Turner’s house, Carter...
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...He gathers his compatriots: Gladys, Otis, Henry and his friend John Latting, Julian Perry, Dr. Carter, William Davis, Joe Mack and Norris Murray. Gladys stockpiles food and Ossian collects weapons. And,...
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Chapter 9: Prejudice
...shoulders. The defense’s witnesses corroborate this account: among others, John Fletcher, Vollington Bristol, and Edward Carter speak to the volatile situation in Detroit; Serena Rochelle and Edna Butler describe their fearful...
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Chapter 10: Judgement Day
...headed by Reinhold Niebuhr, who packs the committee with progressives and Sweet supporters, including Edward Carter. And a scandal has imploded the Detroit Klan, greatly reducing its power.
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