Dr. Charles entered Dillard University at the age of 15. She earned her degree in education, then taught in northern Louisiana and Charleston, South Carolina. While working for the Red Cross, she lived in Japan for a year. During a break in New Orleans, she met and married Charles C. Charles, a student from Howard University, in November 1950. Mr. Charles died in December 1950. Charles had become a young widow, sought to complete her Masters of Social Work at the University of Southern California in 1958 after taking a leave of absence from the New Orleans City Welfare Department. She became an organizer for PTA meetings, outspoken against atrocities against minorities during Jim Crow, and critical of social workers who were not acting in the best interest of the client or their profession. Charles has served as the Co-Chair for the Council on Social Work Education Annual Meetings, a member of the CSWE Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum Standards, and, site visitor for the CSWE Accreditation Commission. Among the Awards Charles has received are: National Social Worker of the Year (NASW), 1975, Humanitarian of the Year, Federal Women Employers Association 1975, Founders Award, New Orleans Chapter, National Association of Black Social Workers, 1979, Doctor of Humane Letters, Dillard University, 1993, one of four women honored by the New Orleans YMCA for a lifetime of service to the community. Dr. Charles received the Times Picayune Loving Cup for 2013. The Loving Cup has been awarded since 1901 to men and women who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material award.