How Power Really Works
A series on fear, power, democracy, and the lessons of the civil rights era.
Current Chapter
Chapter 1:
Fear Is Cheaper than Persuasion
This series reflects on fear not as emotion alone, but as a system of deterrence through which societies teach people when to speak, when to hesitate, and when to remain silent.
Introduction
When I published the first chapter of How Power Really Works, I realized I had never shared the introduction that explains why I started writing this series. This project grew out of concerns about the direction of our country and lessons I learned growing up during…
The First Vote
The First Vote Smallwood Ackiss, Willis Augustus Hodges, and the Long Struggle for Political Power…
Why I Wrote Small’s Big Journey
Some stories stay with a family for generations. They are told in pieces at the table, at…
The First Sign I Ever Carried
Norfolk, Virginia, 1961. I am on the right, age twelve, holding my first protest sign, standing…
I Lived Through the Shift
I have been thinking deeply about the conversations happening inside the Democratic Party and how…
Why I Still Don’t Understand the Virginia Redistricting Election Timeline
What continues to bother me about the Virginia redistricting referendum situation is not just the…
Why the Struggle Over Who Gets to Vote Has Never Truly Ended
Voting rights are rarely lost all at once. They erode quietly, through small changes, fading…
About Charlene
Welcome! I write about history, voting rights, politics, family legacy, and the stories that connect generations.
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