Joe Carter, a African American man, prepares to face the Klan after trying to vote, picture was taken by Bob Adelman in 1964
Reverend Carter, expecting a visit from the Klan after he has dared to register to vote, stands guard on his front porch, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.
That night vigilant neighbors scattered in the woods near his farmhouse, which was at the end of a long dirt road, to help him if trouble arrived.
‘If they want a fight, we’ll fight,’
‘If I have to die, I’d rather die for right.’
‘I value my life more since I became a registered voter. A man is not a first-class citizen, a number one citizen, unless he is a voter.’
After Election Day came and went, Reverend Carter added, ‘I thanked the Lord that he let me live long enough to vote.’
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.