02/27/2025
Who is Pauli Murray (1910–1985)? She was a trailblazing American civil rights activist, lawyer, feminist, Episcopal priest, and writer. She was a key figure in the fight against racial and gender discrimination, influencing both the civil rights and women’s rights movements.
Murray was the first Black woman to graduate from Howard University Law School and later became the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Her legal scholarship was foundational to civil rights law—her 1950 book States’ Laws on Race and Color was cited by Thurgood Marshall in Brown v. Board of Education. She was also an early advocate for the concept of intersectionality, arguing that race and gender discrimination were deeply interconnected.
Murray co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and played a critical role in shaping legal strategies for gender equality, influencing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s arguments for women’s rights. In recent years, her legacy has gained renewed recognition for its profound impact on justice and equality.
Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Poet, memoirist, labor organizer, and Episcopal priest, Pauli Murray helped transform the law of the land. Arrested in 1940 for sitting in the whites-only section of a Virginia bus, Murray propelled that life-defining event into a Howard law degree and a.....
