Notes on Pauli Murray
Pauli Murray: A Trailblazer
President Biden's Early Actions:
Ended the Trump ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military.
Issued an executive order to clarify protections for trans people in workplaces, schools, healthcare, and more.
Signed four executive orders to advance his racial equity agenda.
Introduction to Pauli Murray:
A pivotal figure in the struggle for equality.
A trailblazing Black, queer, feminist, poet, lawyer, legal scholar, and priest.
Experienced discrimination from childhood due to race, gender, or both.
Questioned systems of oppression and conformity with a radical vision ahead of their time.
Influenced landmark civil rights decisions and gender equality legislation.
Early Activism:
Arrested 15 years before Rosa Parks for refusing to give up a seat on a bus.
Helped found the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Religious Life:
Became a priest and is now a saint in the Episcopal Church.
Documentary:
A new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival tells Pauli Murray's story.
Features never-before-seen footage and audio recordings.
Pauli Murray's Personal Struggles:
Faced challenges in meeting standards of excellence due to racial and gender biases.
Struggled with identity, as expressed in a 1943 letter, feeling conflicted and exposed due to societal norms.
Felt turmoil in trying to live life as a complete being with an integrated body, mind, and spirit.
Pauli Murray's Impact on Legal History:
Played a key role in developing Thurgood Marshall's arguments in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Brown v. Board of Education declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Inspired Ruth Bader Ginsburg's argument before the Supreme Court that the Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination based on sex.
Pauli Murray termed this issue as "Jane Crow."
Pauli Murray's Influence on Trans Rights Movement:
Considered a hero to many in today's trans rights movement.
Experienced being taught to believe that people like them don't exist.
Identified with the turmoil of trying to live life as a complete being.
Pronouns and Gender Identity:
Being Black and queer, Pauli Murray can be referred to as they, or simply Pauli, to acknowledge their expanse of gender experience.
In their time, Pauli Murray used she/her pronouns.
Recognition from Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
RBG credited Pauli Murray with ideas about using the 14th Amendment to win equal rights for women.
RBG put Pauli Murray's name on the cover of the first brief she wrote before the Supreme Court in Reed v. Reed.
RBG on Pauli Murray's Influence:
The 14th Amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause.
"Nor shall any state deny any person the equal protection of the laws".
Murray had the idea to interpret the text literally, stating "any person" not just "any male person".
Authored a remarkable article called "Jane Crow and the Law," highlighting laws restricting women's rights.
Reed v. Reed was a turning point gender discrimination case in the Supreme Court.
Limited Recognition:
Despite significant influence, Pauli Murray remains unknown to many.
Pauli Murray's Impact on Racial Equality:
In the early 1940s at Howard Law School, Murray argued that Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) should be overturned.
Plessy v. Ferguson established the "separate but equal" doctrine.
Murray argued that "separate but equal" is inherently unequal and creates a badge of inferiority.
Murray's ideas were initially considered too radical by teachers and classmates.
Murray predicted Plessy would be overturned within 25 years.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declared "separate but equal" unconstitutional, vindicating Murray's argument.
Murray's paper was used in developing the arguments for the Brown v. Board of Education briefs.
Pauli Murray's Perspective on Discrimination (1966):
Nature distributes talents without bias.
Acknowledged disadvantages of being Black in white America, a woman in a man's profession, left-handed, and an orphan.
Recognized that society penalizes individuals based on biological attributes.
Rejection from Harvard Law School:
Murray was denied admission to Harvard Law School because it only accepted men at the time.
Murray wrote a letter stating they would gladly change their sex to meet the requirements but appealed for the school to change its mind.
Murray attended the University of California, Berkeley, and later Yale.
A building is now named for Pauli Murray at Harvard, the first African-American so honored.
Pauli Murray's Gender Identity Struggle:
Murray sought testosterone treatment and exploratory surgery to explore gender identity.
In the 1930s and 1940s, there was no language to describe Murray's feelings.
Private struggle now known due to saved letters and archives at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard.
Remembering Pauli Murray's Complexity:
Acknowledging the complexity and expansiveness of Pauli Murray's identity requires using gender-neutral pronouns.
Chase Strangio advocates for using they/them pronouns to respect Murray's experiences.
Dolores Chandler's Introduction to Pauli Murray:
Introduced to Pauli Murray in 2013 through the Pauli Murray Project.
Recognized Murray's expansive being and integration in various aspects of culture.
Identified with Murray's turmoil and the need to be integrated in body, mind, and spirit.
Pauli Murray Project Coordinator:
Chandler became involved through a social work program at UNC.
Participated in discussions with lawyers, priests, and theologians about Murray's impact.
Inspired by Murray's unwavering commitment to their identity.
Encountering Murray helped Chandler, as a queer person of color, feel less isolated.
Challenging Societal Norms:
Trans and gender non-conforming individuals are often treated as irrelevant or lacking value.
Murray experienced similar turmoil, revealing the falsehood of trans people's insignificance.
Fragmentation and dismissal of trans identities is a form of violence.
Learning about Pauli Murray was a life-giving moment for Chandler.
Pauli Murray's Key Contributions:
Seminal study of segregation laws formed the basis for Thurgood Marshall's legal work and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Anticipated changes in civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights.
Friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt built on commitment to humane values.
Legacy as an unsung hero for equality and equity.
Late Life and Episcopal Priesthood:
After being a tenured professor at Brandeis University, Pauli Murray became a priest in the Episcopal Church and is now considered a saint.
Rejection by Harvard Despite Support:
Despite a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pauli Murray was rejected by Harvard for being a woman.
Life in Ghana:
Pauli Murray moved to Ghana in the late 1950s to teach at a new law school in Accra.
Faced challenges due to the government's lack of interest in democratic principles and returned to America.
Shift to Spirituality:
Murray transitioned from activism and law to spirituality, seeking answers in God.
Entered divinity school at a time when the Episcopal Church did not ordain women.
Became an Episcopal priest, shifting perspective from talker to listener.
Personal Struggles and Overcoming Loss:
Spirituality helped Murray overcome loss and struggle, particularly after the death of a 15-year partner, Irene Barlow.
Importance of Writing:
Writing was a vital form of expression for Pauli Murray, including memoirs and poetry.
Authored a family memoir, "Proud Shoes," and an autobiography.