“After more than 10 years in foster care and having lived in more than a dozen foster homes and group homes, I did something that I (and many others) did not imagine was even possible–I finished school. I attended three different middle schools and four different high schools while I was in care. I never thought I would even finish high school.”
“I’ve earned four degrees since leaving foster care. The BA I got from Bennett College taught me to be proud of being a black woman. The MA I earned from North Carolina A&T State University introduced me to the great work from black literary giants. Both of those HBCUs taught me the legacy of black revolutionaries and that has proven particularly useful, especially now. The MA degree I received from the University of Massachusetts Amherst helped me to know that I have more fight in me than I thought. But this [last] degree–this Ph.D.–is special. It represents something much larger, I think. This one is for the little black girls and the little black boys who are languishing in the child welfare system and cannot see their lives beyond foster care. This one is for you. I just need you to know you can do this. I believe in you.”- Dr. Julia Charles
Dr. Charles received her Ph.D. in African American Studies and will join the faculty at Auburn University as Assistant Professor of Early African American Literature in the fall.