This post is part of the Uncommon Saints series hosted at Bakos Project that features inspiring works and sermons by LGBTQ followers of Christ who encourage us in the Christian faith.
One of the most amazing people that has changed history for the better, and yet who most people have never heard of, is Pauli Murray (1910-1985). I first learned about Pauli when I lived in Durham, North Carolina, which happens to be the hometown of this remarkable Christian. Across Durham, you will find beautiful murals of Pauli tucked away in various parts of the city, along with a childhood home still standing and now preserved as The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. It’s the home where Pauli was sent to live with relatives after becoming an orphan at the age of three.
Pauli experienced tremendous adversity from both racial and sex discrimination, including being barred from enrollment at the University of North Carolina for being Black and later being barred from Harvard for being a woman. Pauli also experienced the stress of being attracted to the same-sex and gender atypical at a time when both were taboo (looking for answers, an exploratory surgery was performed to discern if an intersex condition was present). Pauli persevered, eventually graduating from Yale Law School (1965) and is credited by Thurgood Marshall as the influence behind the arguments that overturned segregation laws. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) similarly credits Pauli with the arguments in Reed v. Reed, a landmark Supreme Court case that ruled against sex discrimination. Pauli was many things: a lawyer, poet, human rights advocate, professor, and pastor. This brief description doesn’t begin to do justice. I was awestruck reading Pauli’s autobiography, Song in a Weary Throat, which is rich with major historical events that Pauli was actively involved in. A true history maker.
A life-long Christian, Pauli entered seminary at the age of 62 and helped to overturn a ban on the ordination of women in the Episcopal church. In one interview Pauli said, “If you want to talk in theological terms, I would say I have been led, guided, and directed all my life. This door was closed so this door would open. I’ve always been more or less a devout Christian . . . I take very little credit for the things I’ve done except . . . that I’ve been responsive to the Holy Spirit.” To meet Pauli, watch the excellent new documentary My Name is Pauli Murray (available on Prime). The trailer is below:
Note: Photo of Pauli Murray mural is from Durham, NC. Photo taken by Karen R. Keen. The artist behind the murals is Brett Cook. Click here to learn more about this community project.