Mandy Carter: Scientist of Activism
MUSIC, ARTS, CULTURE
Music brings people together. Throughout her career, Mandy Carter has used music to educate people on social issues, activate their communities, and help them imagine meaningful change. The materials in this case highlight her work with several organizations, including Bread & Roses Presents, Real Women Productions, Ladyslipper Music, the Association of Women’s Music and Culture, and Rhythm Fest. At music events she helped organize, Carter would often take the microphone to discuss pressing issues between sets, coordinate sign-ups after the event, and sometimes use ticket revenues to cover organizational costs, like paying performers and renting office space.
The Durham YWCA and the War Resisters League sponsored a concert by Toshi Reagon on May 10, 1986. The show was produced by Real Women Productions, an organization co-founded by Mandy Carter and three other women to “bring women’s entertainment and culture to Durham.” Carter, who worked for the WRL’s southeast regional office at the time, was the sound engineer and lighting designer for the show, the proceeds of which went to the Durham Rape Crisis Center.
The Association of Women’s Music and Culture (AWMAC) was an international professional organization dedicated to providing services for women musicians and opportunities for their music to reach audiences. In 1991, the AWMAC conference was held in Durham. Mandy Carter coordinated the conference and led the host committee that handled logistics.
Rhythm Fest was a women's music, arts, and politics festival held Labor Day weekend in the South beginning in 1990. Mandy Carter was a founding co-producer of the event and served as box office coordinator from 1990 to 1994.
The Triangle Area Lesbian Feminists, War Resisters League, and Durham NOW (National Organization for Women) co-sponsored this “rent party” fundraiser to support rent payments for the shared downtown Durham office space of these three organizations. The show featured lesbian feminist comedians Lea Delaria, Kelley Edwards, Plus 1, and their comedy troupe Dos Lesbos. This flyer was made by Mandy Carter and features her distinctive handwriting.
Real Women Productions existed from about 1986 to 1990. Loosely organized, it formed when Mandy Carter, Lucy Harris, Cheri Sistek, and Cris South began working to bring women's entertainment and culture to Durham and the surrounding areas. The group produced different types of shows, including music, comedy, and dance. Many shows were presented in conjunction with other organizations, such as Triangle Area Lesbian Feminists, the War Resisters League, and North Carolina Senate Vote '90. The shows often served as fundraisers, with proceeds benefitting non-profit organizations in the area.
Bread & Roses is a non-profit organization based in California that brings free, live entertainment to people who live in institutions. From 1979 to 1982, Mandy Carter served as the front-of-house volunteer coordinator for the annual Festival of Music. This is a letter of appreciation to Mandy Carter from the staff of Bread & Roses.
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