Charles Sampson PhD

The research within Vanishing Beacons focuses on American municipalities, their revenue streams, expenditures decisions, governance processes and organizational structures. This research examines public policy on voting rights and its connection to the ability of the citizenry to elect officials from the traditional underclass. This entails the observation of the impact of federalism and/or intergovernmental fission on future voting rights policies, policy implementation and policy outcomes. The venture led to the creation of a database containing every municipality in the U.S. which elected mayors after the passage of the 1965 voting rights law and subsequent amendments.

By controlling for mayoral race/ethnicity, Dr. Sampson was able to focus on black governed municipalities and make comparisons of expenditure patterns to the group as a whole. Decennial census and census of government data collected since 1960 provide the source for more than 75 variables describe population composition, size, governance attributes, revenue sources and related variables and constructs

My memoir connects my birthplace, life and work experiences to more than a dozen African countries, places in South America, and all of the states in the Southern and Mid-western United States. The memoir is shaped by family history, as seen through my interpretation of the American experiences of six generations. I believe it is fair to say that I have extensively researched my family background based on oral histories, census documents and, of course, my life and work experiences. The narrative covers the descendants of Abe and Carolyn Sampson; their trials, tribulations, and triumphs as an American family. A good portion of my understandings have been derived from participation and observations of family gatherings of 3rd and 4th generation members around the dinner table at 115 Melon Street in Laurel, Mississippi during my childhood. These memories are stored in my “childhood tapes”, a valuable tool that allows me to travel through the summer forest of my mind and board the cockpit in my time machine. From there I assess life situations up close and from afar without regard to the period in which they occurred.