About Charlene Butts Ligon

Charlene Butts Ligon is an author, historian, and civil rights storyteller dedicated to preserving African American history and the legacy of her family’s fight for voting rights and equality in America.

Born during the era of segregation, Charlene grew up witnessing both the hardships of Jim Crow and the determination of ordinary people who challenged injustice through courage, persistence, and community action. She is the daughter of civil rights activist Evelyn Butts, whose landmark Supreme Court case helped end the poll tax in America.

Charlene is also the great-great-granddaughter of Smallwood “Small” Ackiss, a formerly enslaved Virginian who served in the Union Army during the Civil War and later became one of the first Black men in Virginia Beach to vote after emancipation. His story inspired her children’s book, Small’s Big Journey, which introduces young readers to themes of freedom, resilience, and citizenship.

A retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant, Charlene spent years serving her country while raising a family and remaining deeply engaged in civic life. Today, she combines personal history, research, and commentary to write about civil rights, democracy, voting rights, coalition politics, and the unfinished struggle for equality in America.

Through her essays, books, and public speaking, Charlene works to preserve stories that are often overlooked — connecting past struggles to present-day challenges and reminding readers that progress is never guaranteed.

She is the author of:

• Fearless: How a Poor Virginia Seamstress Took on Jim Crow, Beat the Poll Tax and Changed Her City Forever
• Small’s Big Journey

Charlene currently lives with her husband Robert and continues documenting her family’s history and the broader story of Black political and civic life in America.

You can follow Charlene’s work and writing at EvelynTButts.com.