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JOHN YANG: Since President
Gerald Ford first recognized
it in 1976, February has been

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celebrated as Black
History Month. For the
next four weekends, we're
going to bring you stories

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of black Americans whose lives
and whose work are lesser known,
their contributions all the

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more significant because they
were accomplished in the face
of injustice and discrimination.

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Tonight, the story of
a woman who helped take
down one of America's

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most notorious mob bosses.
It's part one of our
series, Hidden Histories.

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Eunice Carter always understood
the power of public service.
When she was seven years old,

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her parents, both social
activists, fled the south after
the 1906 Atlanta race riots,

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moving the family to
Brooklyn, New York.

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SHAKALA ALVARANGA, Director of
Public Programs, The Mob Museum:
She was ahead of her time.

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JOHN YANG: Shakala Alvaranga is
the Director of Public Programs
at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

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SHAKALA ALVARANGA: Her father,
William Hunton Sr., he founded
the black division of the YMCA.

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And her mother was a social
worker, an activist, and
a political organizer.
And she also worked

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for the YMCA's war efforts
during World War I.
And she was one of the
women assigned to work

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with about 200,000 segregated
black troops who were stationed
in France at the time. So

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her family history holds a lot
of depth and a lot of history
when it comes to civil rights.

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JERMAINE FOWLER, Author,
"The Humanity Archive": So,
this is the example that

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Carter is growing up
in, and this is who she
looks to for inspiration.

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JOHN YANG: Jermaine
Fowler is the author of
The Humanity Archive,

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which highlights the
achievements of black
Americans that history
books have long ignored.

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Her family also made sure
she got a good education.

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JERMAINE FOWLER: She went
to Smith College. She
was only the second black

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woman to receive a bachelor
and a master's degree in four
years in 1921. And then she

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entered Fordham Law school
as the first black woman to
graduate from that school.

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JOHN YANG: She became an
assistant district attorney,
mostly working at what was then

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called Women's Court,
prosecuting sex workers.
Her talents came to the
attention of Thomas E. Dewey,

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then beginning his rise
to national prominence as
a New York State special

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prosecutor going after
organized crime. Carter
joined his otherwise all
white, all male team.

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SHAKALA ALVARANGA: They,
you know, kind of had this
unconventional relationship,

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but Dewey clearly knew
how talented and how
educated Eunice Carter was.

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She was out in the
community, and a lot of
people were talking to her,

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and they may have not felt
as comfortable talking to
the men about, you know,
what they were doing.

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JOHN YANG: She was paid less
than her male counterparts
and passed over for

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promotions. But her experience
in women's court gave her
knowledge they didn't have.

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JERMAINE FOWLER: She noticed
that women being arrested
for prostitution from all

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over new York City were being
represented by the same lawyers
and the same bails bondsman.

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JOHN YANG: She meticulously
followed the connections
back to the reigning

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boss of Mafia bosses,
Charles "Lucky" Luciano.

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JERMAINE FOWLER: Luciano is
this very savvy businessman, but
he's also a ruthless Mafia also.

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And what we know of as the
Mafia today was started by
Luciano, who consolidated
these blood Fu-wing

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gangster families during
the Prohibition era into
one centrally supervised
criminal syndicate.

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SHAKALA ALVARANGA: After
months of interviewing and
wiretapping, Carter and

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her colleague at the time, they
convinced Dewey that organized

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crime essentially controlled
the brothels. They would
pocket about $40 of their $200

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weekly earnings. And in
contrast, Luciano earned
millions every year.

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JOHN YANG: Carter spearheaded
an investigation that included
raids on brothels across New

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York City. The evidence
gathered led to Luciano's
1936 conviction on more

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than 60 counts of forced
prostitution. He was sentenced
to 30 to 50 years in prison.

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This episode really
helped establish Thomas
Dewey nationwide ran
for political office.

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He was a presidential candidate.
How much credit did Eunice
Carter get in all of this?

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JERMAINE FOWLER: We kind of see
her overlooked, and it's really
just within the last few years

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that we're recovering her
legacy and her contributions
to this case and this grant end

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place that she holds in
American history in terms
of prosecution and going
against organized crime.

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JOHN YANG: After leaving the
government, Carter entered
private practice. She was

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active in the YWCA, the
NAACP, and was an advisor
to the United Nations. But

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it was her work in the
Luciano case, helping get
justice for the women he

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abused that cemented Carter's
legacy and earned her the
title, Lady Racketbuster.

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SHAKALA ALVARANGA:
She was able to really

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hone in and really put
this case together in a
way that only she could do.