Vednita Carter

Vednita Carter is an anti-prostitution activist, author and executive director of the "Breaking Free" organisation which helps women in prostitution.

Before beginning a career as an anti-prostitution activist Carter, from Twin Cities, Minnesota, was a stripper. In 1989, Carter began to work with women in prostitution in Minnesota at a different agency, which later closed, and became program director. In 1996, Carter founded Breaking Free, an organization that aids girls and women in exiting prostitution. She subsequently became this organization's executive director and the programme expanded to offer more support including: "emergency services such as food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance, legal assistance to victims of trafficking" By 1998 the organization rented an apartment block to permanently rehouse women and girls and by 2010 they had more apartments and three "transitional houses". In 2015, the housing block named "Jerry's Place", after Sgt. Gerald Vick, was closed due to funding issues.

In their book Juvenile Justice: Advancing Research, Policy, and Practice, Francine Sherman and Francine Jacobs call Carter "a leading service provider for exploited women and girls".

Carter has been published in Hastings Women's Law Journal, the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law, and the Journal of Trauma Practice. Carter contributed the piece "Prostitution = Slavery" to the 2003 anthology Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium, edited by Robin Morgan.

Carter won the 2010 Survivor Centered-Service Provider category from the Norma Hotaling Award. Carter was one of six women granted the Women of Distinction award by Century College in 2012.

Chapters in books

• Carter, Vednita (2003), "Prostitution = Slavery", in Morgan, Robin, Sisterhood is forever: the women's anthology for a new millennium, New York, New York: Washington Square Press, pp. 315–324, ISBN 9780743466271.  Details.
• Carter, Vednita (2004), "Prostitution and the new slavery", in Whisnant, Rebecca; Stark, Christine, Not for sale: feminists resisting prostitution and pornography, North Melbourne, Victoria: Spinifex Press, pp. 85–88, ISBN 9781876756499. 
• Carter, Vednita (2004), "Providing services to African American prostituted women", in Farley, Melissa, Prostitution, trafficking and traumatic stress, Binghamton, New York: Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press, pp. 213–222, ISBN 9781136764905.  Pdf.
• Carter, Vednita; Giobbe, Evelina (2006), "Duet: prostitution, racism and feminist discourse", in Spector, Jessica, Prostitution and pornography: philosophical debate about the sex industry, Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, pp. 17–39, ISBN 9780804749381. 

Journal articles

• Carter, Vednita (1993). "Prostitution: where racism & sexism intersect". Michigan Journal of Gender and Law. HeinOnline on behalf of University of Michigan Law School. 1: 81–89.  Pdf.
• Carter, Vednita; Giobbe, Evelina (1999). "Duet: prostitution, racism and feminist discourse". Hastings Women's Law Journal, symposium issue: Economic Justice for Sex Workers. University of California, Hastings College of the Law. 10 (1): 37–58.  Pdf.
• Carter, Vednita (January 2004). "Providing services to African American prostituted women". Journal of Trauma Practice. Taylor and Francis. 2 (3–4): 213–222. doi:10.1300/J189v02n03_03.