If you’ve ever sat on a bus without being forced to the back, or if you’re a woman who’s ever applied for a job without being legally laughed out of the room, you owe a massive, overdue "thank you" to Rev Dr Pauli Murray. Honestly, it’s wild how many people don't know this name. We’re talking about a person who basically provided the legal roadmap for Thurgood Marshall to win Brown v. Board of Education and gave Ruth Bader Ginsburg the tools to dismantle sex discrimination.
Murray was a poet. A lawyer. A priest. An activist. A non-binary pioneer long before the language for that even existed in the mainstream.
Born in 1910, Murray lived a life that feels like it was ripped from five different biographies. They grew up in Durham, North Carolina, raised by an aunt after being orphaned. This wasn't a life of privilege. It was a life of "no." No, you can't go to this college. No, you can't sit there. No, your identity doesn't fit our boxes. But Murray was the type of person who heard "no" and decided to rewrite the entire dictionary.
The Legal Architect Behind the Scenes
Most of us learn about the Civil Rights Movement as a series of big speeches and marches. But before the marching, there was the law. In 1944, while a student at Howard University School of Law, Murray wrote a paper. It wasn't just any paper. It argued that Plessy v. Ferguson—the "separate but equal" doctrine—was a violation of the 13th and 14th Amendments.
At the time, Murray’s professors and peers literally laughed. They thought the idea of attacking segregation head-on, rather than just arguing for "better" separate facilities, was a suicide mission for a legal career.
Ten years later? Thurgood Marshall’s team at the NAACP used Murray’s exact logic to win Brown v. Board of Education. Marshall reportedly called Murray’s book, States’ Laws on Race and Color, the "Bible" of the civil rights movement. Imagine being the person who wrote the blueprint for the most famous court case in American history and yet your name is a footnote in most textbooks. It’s frustrating.
"Jane Crow" and the Fight for Gender Equality
Murray didn't stop at race. They coined the term "Jane Crow" to describe the unique, double-whammy discrimination Black women faced. You see, Murray understood intersectionality decades before Kimberlé Crenshaw officially named the concept in 1989.
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In the 1960s, Murray was a founding member of the National Organization for Women (NOW). But even there, things were complicated. Murray often felt that white feminists didn't get the race part, and Black male activists didn't get the gender part. It was a lonely spot to be in.
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote her brief for Reed v. Reed in 1971—a landmark case that said the Equal Protection Clause applies to women—she did something incredible. She put Pauli Murray’s name on the brief as a co-author. She didn't have to do that. Murray hadn't worked on that specific case. But Ginsburg knew she was standing on Murray’s shoulders. She wanted the world to know who actually built the foundation.
A Life of "Firsts" and Spiritual Evolution
The sheer volume of Murray's "firsts" is exhausting just to read about.
- First Black person to earn a Doctor of Juridical Science from Yale Law School.
- First Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest.
- Deputy Attorney General of California.
The move into the priesthood in 1977 was a shock to many, but for Murray, it was just another way to fight for human dignity. They were 66 years old. Most people are looking at retirement brochures at that age. Murray was busy breaking the stained-glass ceiling.
They held their first Eucharist at the same church in North Carolina where their grandmother, an enslaved person, had been baptized. Think about that for a second. The symbolism is heavy. It’s a full-circle moment that feels like something out of a movie, but it was just Tuesday for Pauli.
The Struggles with Identity
We have to talk about the personal side, because that’s where the human-ness really lives. Throughout their life, Murray struggled with what they described as "an inverted sex instinct." They sought out hormone treatments in the 1930s and 40s. They often dressed in what was considered "men’s clothing" and had long-term, devoted relationships with women, most notably Irene Barlow.
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In today’s world, we’d probably use terms like transgender or non-binary. Back then? There were no words. There were just doctors who didn't understand and a society that wanted everyone in a neat little binary. Murray spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals seeking answers for why they felt like a man trapped in a woman's body.
That internal struggle didn't make Murray weaker; it made them more attuned to every kind of marginalization. When you don't fit in any box, you start to realize that the boxes themselves are the problem.
Why Rev Dr Pauli Murray Matters Right Now
You might be thinking, "Okay, this is a great history lesson, but why does it matter in 2026?"
It matters because our current debates about identity, law, and justice are still using the tools Murray built. When we talk about the Supreme Court today, we are talking about the legacy of Murray’s interpretations of the 14th Amendment. When we talk about the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, we are walking the path Murray cleared with their own feet.
Murray’s life teaches us that you don't need a crowd to be right. You can be the only person in the room who sees the truth, and if you write it down clearly enough, the rest of the world will eventually catch up. It took the Supreme Court a decade to catch up to Murray’s 1944 paper. It took the Episcopal Church decades to catch up to Murray’s call for ordination.
Real-World Impacts You Can See
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act: Murray was instrumental in ensuring "sex" was included as a protected category. Without that, workplace protection for women would look very different.
- The Concept of Intersectionality: Every modern DEI program or social justice initiative owes its intellectual framework to Murray's "Jane Crow" theory.
- Protest Tactics: Long before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Murray was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a bus in Virginia in 1940. They were prototyping the movement.
Taking Action: How to Honor This Legacy
Learning about Murray shouldn't just be an "oh, that's neat" moment. It’s a call to look at where the law is still failing people today.
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If you want to dive deeper, don't just take my word for it. Read Murray's autobiography, Song in a Weary Throat. It is raw and honest. It doesn't sugarcoat the depression or the feeling of being an outsider.
Visit the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. It’s based in their childhood home in Durham. They are doing the hard work of keeping this story alive and using it to train the next generation of activists.
Support the inclusion of Murray in school curriculums. Most history books still skip from Booker T. Washington to MLK Jr. with nothing in between. That’s a gap that does a disservice to how change actually happens. Change isn't a lightning bolt; it’s a slow-cooked meal prepared by people like Murray.
Lastly, look at your own "unpopular" ideas. Murray was laughed at for suggesting that separate could never be equal. What truths are we ignoring today because they seem too radical? The next landmark Supreme Court case is probably sitting in some student's "crazy" essay right now.
The best way to respect Rev Dr Pauli Murray isn't just to memorize a name. It’s to adopt that same "confrontational grace." It’s about being willing to be the first, even if it means being alone for a while.
Start by sharing this story. Most people genuinely want to know the truth about how we got here. They just need someone to tell them where to look.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge:
- Read: The Firebrand and the First Lady by Patricia Bell-Scott, which explores the unlikely friendship between Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt.
- Watch: The documentary My Name is Pauli Murray (released in 2021) for archival footage and interviews that bring their voice to life.
- Research: Look into the Pauli Murray Fellowship programs that support civil rights attorneys today.
- Visit: The National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C., which features a permanent exhibit on Murray's contributions to the legal system.
- Apply: Use the concept of "Jane Crow" to analyze modern workplace statistics or social policies in your own community or industry.