Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr Charay Smith.
Hi Dr Charay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Dr. Charay Smith is a proven leader who has spent her life lifting up children, families, and entire communities. From Title I classrooms to the nonprofit sector, she’s done the work — not for recognition, but because people deserve someone who shows up.
A former teen mom who rose to become a school principal, Dr. Charay knows what it means to fight through obstacles and still deliver results. She has taught, counseled, and led in schools where kids needed more than lessons — they needed hope, stability, and someone who believed in them.
As a substance-use clinician, she walked with individuals through recovery and into second chances. As a nonprofit executive director, she employed a team of 21 and secured the funding needed to ensure fair wages. She has advocated for families on the Cumberland County Board of Appeals, supported youth through the NAACP Youth Council, and championed workforce opportunity through the Workforce Investment Act.
Her service runs deep — from early days as a candy striper, to hospice volunteer work, to leading youth leadership camps that gave kids safe spaces and real opportunity. And as a minister, she has opened doors to experiences many families never imagined — including trips to Disney World and first-time travel beyond their hometowns.
Dr. Charay is running for Congress because she believes every family deserves safety, opportunity, and a voice that truly represents them. She’s lived the challenges — and she’s ready to deliver real solutions.
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We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, I was raised by a strong and determined single Black mother who carried the weight of our family on her shoulders. She worked tirelessly to provide stability, guidance, and protection for me and my sister, even as the city around us became increasingly dangerous. The rise in violence in our neighborhood forced her to make a difficult but courageous decision: to uproot our lives and move us to Laurinburg, North Carolina, in hopes of giving us a safer environment and a better chance at success.
Transitioning from a fast-paced, urban city like Baltimore to a slow-paced rural town in North Carolina came with its own set of challenges. While the move provided physical safety, it also exposed us to a completely different social and cultural environment. The sense of community was different, the schools operated differently, and the opportunities felt more limited. As children coming from a northern city, my sister and I also had to navigate the feeling of being outsiders—adjusting to new accents, new expectations, and sometimes subtle forms of bias and exclusion.
My mother’s resilience taught me how to adapt, persevere, and find strength in unfamiliar spaces. Watching her rebuild our lives from scratch showed me what determination truly looks like. The challenges of moving—from cultural differences to economic constraints—helped shape my work ethic, my empathy, and my commitment to creating opportunities for myself and others.
Through it all, I learned that survival is more than leaving danger behind—it’s learning to grow in a place that wasn’t built with you in mind. And despite those challenges, I continued to push forward, grounded in the values my mother instilled and motivated by the belief that every difficult transition can lead to transformation.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
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Coaching/ Business Options/Website Design
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Persons seeking support with Addictions/ Mental Health Disorders.
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Persons needing Notary Public Services/ Loan Signing Agent Services
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Stepping forward to run for the United States Congress as an independent, unaffiliated woman is one of the greatest risks I have ever taken—but it is also one of the most necessary. Coming from a childhood shaped by resilience—raised by a single Black mother, uprooted from Baltimore to rural North Carolina, and taught to survive and adapt in environments that were not always welcoming—I learned early that change never comes from comfort. Running without the backing of a major political party means giving up traditional support, funding, and the built-in credibility that party labels provide. But I also know that true leadership sometimes requires stepping outside of the system in order to challenge it. I am running because I believe voters deserve an authentic voice—one that is not controlled by political machines, one that understands struggle, transition, and perseverance firsthand. My journey has prepared me to take this risk. It has taught me to stand alone when necessary, to speak truth even when it is unpopular, and to fight for communities that have been overlooked. This campaign is not just about politics—it is about courage, integrity, and the belief that an independent path can still lead to powerful change.
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