Charlotte E. Ray was born on January 13, 1850 and in 1872 graduated from Howard Univerisity School of Law. She was then admitted to the District of Columbia bar which made her one of the first women of any race to practice law in the district.
Living in the 19th century as a woman (more specifically a woman of color) meant being barred from any legal position. As we can see from
Women were prohibited from attending or even enrolling in law shools, consequently preventing any woman from obtaining a license to practice law across the states. At the height of her legal career, Ray created her own law office in the District. Unfortunately, she was soon forced to shut down her practice due to the lack of business to sustain it.