Lawrence Carter (historian)


Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr. is an American historian, professor, author, and civil rights expert. He is Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator at Morehouse College as well as the Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse. Carter is also the founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel Assistants Pre-seminarians Program, and director of the Marting Luther King Jr. College of Pastoral Leadership.

Early life and education

Carter was born in Georgia to John and Bernice Carter. He grew up in Ohio eventually receiving his B.A. degree from Virginia University of Lynchburg and his M. Div., S.T.M., and Ph.D. degrees from Boston University.

Career

After graduating Carter served Associate Dean of Daniel L. Marsh Chapel at Boston University. He later taught at Harvard University Divinity School and served as coordinator of African American studies at Simmons College.
At Morehouse, Carter founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel Assistants Pre-seminarians Program. He commissioned the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Institute for Ethics and Reconciliation in 1999, and created the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Community Builder’s Prize of the Morehouse Chapel in 2001.

Awards and honors

Carter has received four honorary degrees from the following three schools: Lincoln University, Al al-Bayt University, and Soka University of Japan. He has received the following awards: