Charnielle Herring talks with her hands, a manifestation of her energy and passion.

It is my life, she said, explaining her love of activism. Public service is my life, no matter what it is.  It keeps me going and makes me whole.  I have to say, its something I enjoy.  I love to see other people empowered.

With her mother and brother, Herring moved to Alexandria in 1986, when she was 16 years old.  She attended West Springfield High School and earned her bachelors degree in economics from George Mason University. It sounds an ordinary life, but Herrings past was anything but. 

Our family experienced homelessness when I was 16.  We became homeless when I was living in Springfield. It was horrificit was horrific. In 1986 I can just remember teachers making comments about our car and that it was filled with stuff; it looked like there was a dead person in the car, she said.  We lived in a hotel for three months, and then we moved into a shelter, and then from that shelter we were able to find affordable housing in Alexandria and were able to move into an apartment. 

Despite the challenges and obstacles, Herring was able to overcome the social barriers, gaining strength from her mother.

It is my mother, she said.  Its her and her social activism and then just realizing that each time I spoke up about an issue it got attention, and it just motivates me.

Since then Herring has dedicated her life to the hope and prospects of change. As an advocate for a change, she is the deputy chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee.  By making sure the party has all the necessary resources, Herring is trying to unite Hilary Clinton supporters and Barack Obama supporters to back Obamas ideals and call for change.

Herring is also a proponent for full funding of early childhood education, parent involvement in the learning process, and low-income youths completing secondary education.

Its just so important, she said.  Once you start planning early and once you have an interest in something, I think its very important that somebody explore it.  Its great if a high school sophomore can go explore being a chemical engineer.

Pulled out of poverty by determination, the help of organizations and the kindness of strangers, Herring was motivated to help others in a similar situation. Her quest for justice, as she calls it, started as a law school student at Catholic University. Since then, Herring has traveled through Virginia, speaking out and raising public awareness to the problems and social injustices of homelessness and poverty.

Along Herrings righteous path she has been a voice for Virginia women whose struggles and worries have gone unheard. Working to ignite a sense of power in other women Herring has worked with Governor Tim Kaine on issues such as domestic violence as a member of the Commission for Women.  Kaine has recently appointed her to the State Council on the Status of Women.

I hope that what Ive done is positive, helping women understand that theyre powerful too and that they can have their own business and own industry, Herring said.

Volunteering has also played a major role in Herrings life. During her college years at Mason, while others were partying and living care-free lives, Herring volunteered at a mental health institute and trained others in crisis intervention. She also raised funding for family services for the Volunteers in Service to America VISTA, now known as AmeriCorps VISTA, after graduating from Mason.

Although she was born in the Dominican Republic and has lived all around the United States, Herrings roots lie in Virginia.

I see myself in Alexandria, always. We started here in Alexandria; my great great grandmother was sold in Lynchburg. This is home, Virginias home, Alexandrias home for me. I dont see myself leaving. 

Arms waving, Herrings face lights up as she speaks about the power of change and the importance of community activism.

People just dont realize how powerful individually, they are, she said.  I just want people to realize that and we can change the world; I know we can.  I think we all want the same thing, its just how we get there.