Laura “Mother” Carter (1914-1999) was a champion of rights for women and children, a devoted church member, and community activist in Jamaica, Queens. Carter was born in Hawkinsville, Georgia. After marrying Willie Carter in Miami, Florida in 1940, she and her husband relocated to this neighborhood in the late 1940s. Mother Carter joined the nearby Rush Temple AME Zion Church in 1970, where she served as a deaconess, missionary, food pantry and hotline worker, and life member of the Women’s Home and Missionary Society.

Mother Carter was active in bettering the park and the surrounding neighborhood. She adopted the area around this garden, encouraging local children to volunteer and planning events throughout the year to bring locals to this sprawling greenspace. She also founded “Adults and Youth for a Better Baisley Park” and planted the first Christmas tree on the property. Diminutive in stature but great in personality and political savvy, she tirelessly advocated to local elected officials on behalf of the park and community.