[Durham INC] Thanks to community support, state marker for Pauli Murray to be unveiled Nov 20
John Schelp
bwatu at yahoo.com
Thu Nov 3 14:40:50 EDT 2011
Thanks to support from the community, the NC Highway Historical Marker Advisory Committee voted last year to
approve a state marker for Pauli Murray in the West End. The historic marker will be unveiled on Sunday, Nov 20 at 3pm at West Chapel Hill & Carroll Streets.
The heartwarming messages below were vital to the process! (Many thanks to
those of you who wrote to the state committee.)
Please join us.
More about "Pauli Murray Day" in Durham... http://paulimurrayproject.org/pauli-murray-day-in-durham-november-20-2011/
All best,
John Schelp
Pauli Murray Project :: http://paulimurrayproject.org/
****
I
write in support of the placement of a historic marker in Durham's West
End in honor of Pauli Murray. Murray was a remarkable leader in the
civil rights movement, labor movement, and the women's movement. She
deserves special recognition for her efforts to integrate the graduate
school at UNC-Chapel Hill. She was arrested for where she sat in a bus
in Virginia in the early 1940s. She was a founder of the national
organization for women. As a lawyer, teacher, writer, poet, prophet, and
priest, she was on the cutting edge of social change movements for four
decades in the United States.
North Carolina can be very proud
of this remarkable woman who grew up in Durham, and a marker will help
to educate the public about her. It is particularly appropriate to
recognize Murray with a marker this year, since we celebrate the 100th
anniversary of her birth.
The Rev. Jeanette Stokes
Resource Center for Women & Ministry in the South
Durham, NC
****
I
am delighted to send a letter of support encouraging the State of North
Carolina to recognize the work of Pauli Murray by erecting a state
marker in her honor. I recently read her book, "Proud Shoes" and
realized that she told an important story about Durham history.
Pauli
Murray, who grew up in Durham, was a powerful woman who stood as a
champion for civil and human rights. She touched many lives through her
writing, her teachings and her sermons. She has gained national
recognition (she was an advisor to Eleanor Roosevelt and appointed by
John F. Kennedy to the President’s Commission on the Status of Women,
Committee on civil and Political Rights,) and it is only fitting that
the State of North Carolina also honor her work.
Ann Deupree
Woodcroft
Durham NC
****
I
fully share your hope for obtaining a state marker honoring Pauli
Murray. We can all be proud of this impressive individual, and it is
important for more citizens to know her inspiring story and her place in
North Carolina History.
I still recall reading "Proud Shoes"
at the suggestion of my mother; it made a big impression and helped lead
me toward my lifelong interests as a historian of southern race
relations.
Several years ago, I made note of her family when I
published a short history of black Hillsborough. I am eager to see her
story told more widely.
Peter H. Wood
Emeritus Professor of History, Duke University
****
I
am an Episcopal priest and rector of St Luke's Episcopal Church. When I
moved back to Durham in 1986 I helped coordinate a dialogue on the life
and work of the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray. The dialogue was between
women of St Luke's and women of St.Titus, the parish where Dr. Murray
grew up. Many of the women in the group had long years of experience in
the Durham City and Durham County School systems as well as their shared
history of living in Durham through many of the decades Dr. Murray
lived here.
It was an amazing experience of healing and growing
for these black and white women. We found common ground around our
varied voices and experiences. We have continued to engage in these
kinds of reflections as we share Pauli Murray's life story with
newcomers to Durham and new generations of Durham residents.
I, therefore, wholeheartedly support a marker in commemoration of the life, labor and dedication of Pauli Murray.
(the Reverend) Anne Hodges-Copple
St Luke's Episcopal Church
Durham, NC
****
I
work for Self-Help, a statewide non-profit community development and
lending organization that is based in Durham. We work closely with the
West End community where Pauli Murray grew up, and know how well
Murray's accomplishments resonate with the community even today. Murray
was raised in Durham but her importance extends well beyond the city.
One
example of her continuing relevance is that, based on the advocacy
efforts of community groups, Self-Help has agreed to help acquire
Murray's childhood home (right down the street from where a marker would
sit) so it can be rehabbed and put to a use that does Murray's legacy
justice. I sincerely hope the state agrees to install a historic marker,
as Pauli Murray is clearly deserving of the distinction.
Dan Levine
Self-Help
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing to encourage your support for a marker commemorating the
life, work, and ideals of Pauli Murray. Pauli Murray was a leader and
visionary for all people, and Durham should proudly celebrate her
connections to our city. A state marker will serve as a great reminder
of her vision and accomplishments, and inspire Durham to live up to her
legacy.
Wendy Kadens
Durham, NC
****
My family and I have been proud members of the Greater West End Community, Durham, NC, for over 30 years.
As
such, we would be thrilled and energized to have one of our community's
most ardent, erudite, persistent, and faithful spokeswomen for the
rights of all people, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, receive the recognition she
had long deserved, by means of a permanent historic marker.
Groups
of activists are now coming together to lift up the work of Dr. Murray.
The community in which she grew up, meanwhile, needs to have a tangible
sign in place, an historic marker, to commemorate her contributions and
to inspire all generations henceforth to keep up the good fight for
truth and justice.
The time is now; the place is here.
Ethel C. Simonetti
Dean Street
Durham, NC
****
I have heard with great pleasure that there is a possibility of a Pauli Murray marker in Durham.
Although
I now live far away, I grew up in Durham and relished reading "Proud
Shoes" when I was a teen. I followed news of Murray's many proud
accomplishments. She has made her city and state shine even more
brightly in the history of our nation.
A reminder of her life would be a great service to Durham and its residents.
Susan Bissette Preston
Madison, Wisconsin
****
I
am writing to urge you to support the creation of a marker in honor of
Pauli Murray, one of Durham’s most significant historical residents. The
accomplishments of this woman are not only extraordinary in themselves
but extraordinary in that they were all accomplished in a single
lifetime, especially considering gender and racial challenges she faced.
She continues to be an inspiration and her influence extends well
beyond Durham, North Carolina. Thank you for considering this request.
Barclay McConnell
Durham, NC
****
What
an honor to be able to recognize such an accomplished woman that had
roots in our state! What a privilege to be able to recognize her and her
accomplishments. Yes, I support her recognition and ask how can we not
recognize this amazing woman that accomplished so much at such a
difficult time in history, not only for woman but a black woman. It is
long overdue.
Rebecca Heil
Durham, NC
****
I am
writing in support of the effort to get a state marker celebrating Pauli
Murray as a champion for civil and human rights. Pauli Murray is one of
my heroes and a person who had a profound impact on the effort both for
civil rights for African-Americans and for women. I recall that she was
rejected for law school by UNC because of the color of her skin and by
Harvard because of her gender. She had the courage to take on the
biggest problems of her time and she did so without regard to the
penalties she would have to bear for challenging the status quo.
Pauli Murray is and should be celebrated as a source of great pride for our community.
Ken Rose
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing to support erecting a state marker celebrating Dr. Pauli
Murray, champion for civil, human rights AND a citizen of Durham, North
Carolina. Lucky us to have had such a brave foot soldier in the war of
injustice. Her passion and determination paved a smoother path for all
of us. A state marker would help keep her spirit alive and inspire
generations to come.
Marcia Kirinus
Durham, NC
****
Preservation
Durham supports the Pauli Murray Project in its efforts to have a state
marker erected in commemoration of civil rights activist Pauli Murray.
Pauli Murray was a leader and visionary for all people, and Durham
should proudly celebrate her connections to our city. Please do
everything in your power to facilitate the creation of a state marker
recognizing Pauli Murray.
Sean Stucker
Preservation Durham
****
I’m
writing in support of the State of North Carolina acknowledge one of
her most accomplished daughters, Pauli Murray. Growing up in Durham’s
West End neighborhood, Murray graduated from Hillside High School. Much
of the social movements of the 20th century were embodied by her
actions. She worked on the Brown vs. Board of Education case that led to
the end of separate but equal schools, was a founder of the National
Organization for Women, and was the first black woman to be ordained an
Episcopal priest.
She published many articles, essays, poems and
sermons, but her most famous book is Proud Shoes: The Story of an
American Family is set in Durham. Written in 1956, covering almost one
hundred years of history, this story of her family includes both painful
and joyful events, and is an inspiration to all who read it.
Joanne Abel
Durham County Library
****
I
am writing to urge you to support the creation of a marker in honor of
Pauli Murray, one of Durham’s historical heroes. Pauli Murray helped our
country take giant steps forward in civil rights for African Americans
and women. Let's show the world that we are proud of her and her North
Carolina roots.
Christine Westfall
Clarendon Street
Durham, NC
****
I
have read "Proud Shoes" and am part way through her autobiography. It
just makes sense to have a monument to this amazing women in the town
she grew up in.
Robert Cook-Deegan, MD
Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
****
Please
support the Pauli Murray marker. Among so many things, Pauli Murray
co-founded the National Organization for Women and served on the
national board of the American Civil Liberties Union. She broke
barriers, she did it with her intelligence, she did it with her
devotion, she did it with your passion. I am a proud citizen of North
Carolina and I want my great state to recognize this great woman.
Risa Foster
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing to request that the state provide a historical marker for
Pauli Murray. She was an incredible woman who lived an extraordinary
life, and this marker will be one small way of pointing to a life well
lived.
I live in the neighborhood where she was raised and her
positive impact is still being felt, even though it has now be several
years since she passed.
Todd Maberry
Kent Street
Durham, NC
****
I believe that a marker constructed in recognition of Paula Murray would be very fitting.
Carrie McNair
Durham, NC
****
Please
go forward with the marker to recognize Pauli Murray who grew up here
in Durham. In fact, she grew up just two blocks from where I live! I'm
impressed by the folks coming out to celebrate her life and plan for
great uses of her childhood home. She is a great inspiration to anyone
who has been exposed to her work/writings, but especially here in Durham
where we realize any of us can strive to influence social change!
Sandy Demeree
President, West End Neighborhood Association
****
The
Lyon Park Neighborhood Association is proud and excited to support the
erection of a Pauli Murray State Historic Highway Marker.
Dr.
Murray spent most of her early childhood in Durham, North Carolina and
attended school in the West End/Lyon Park Community. As a woman of color
and for her time, she overcame significant obstacles to become a poet,
lawyer, writer, teacher, civil rights activist, women right's activist,
and priest. The City of Durham, North Carolina and the community that
she grew up in would appreciate and support a historic marker that would
commemorate her human rights activism and her life. Her story is a
testimony to what one person can do to make the world a better place in
which to live.
Victoria Joyner Phillips & Hazeline Umstead
Lyon Park Neighborhood Association
****
The
board of the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association has voted
unanimously to support a state marker recognizing the significant
accomplishments of Pauli Murray.
We join others in saying, "the time is now; the place is here."
John Schelp
President, Old West Durham Neighborhood Association
****
Pauli
Murray has emerged as a true Durham hero shaped and formed by this
community. To honor her is to honor not only our history but a future
full of promise.
Sam Miglarese
Director of Community Engagement, Duke University
****
I
am writing to support the great idea of dedicating a state historical
marker to recognize and celebrate one of North Carolina's great
citizens, Pauli Murray. As writer, civil rights advocate, and pioneer
religious leader, Ms. Murray represents all that's best in our history
and society and very much merits this recognition.
Steven Channing
Durham, NC
****
I
am delighted to send a letter of support encouraging the State of North
Carolina to recognize the work of Pauli Murray by erecting a state
marker in her honor.
Pauli Murray, who grew up in Durham, was a
powerful woman who stood as a champion for civil and human rights. She
touched many lives through her writing, her teachings and her sermons.
She has gained national recognition (she was an advisor to Eleanor
Roosevelt and appointed by John F. Kennedy to the President’s Commission
on the Status of Women, Committee on civil and Political Rights,) and
it is only fitting that the State of North Carolina also honor her work.
Shelly Green
President & CEO
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
****
I
am a Black Feminist Scholar and Educator... who is thrilled to live
blocks away from the home where Pauli Murray, Black Feminist Scholar,
Educator, Civil Rights Lawyer, Pathmaker, Boundary Breaker, Spiritual
Leader and Beacon of Bravery for marginalized folks of all kinds --
including and especially LGBTQ people -- I deeply support, encourage,
and celebrate in advance the erection of an official marker letting all
who pass through our neighborhood, and who live here know about the
great legacy of brilliance we walk with!
I am especially
excited about the marker as a visible educational tool. I can't wait to
talk about Pauli Murray with the children in our neighborhood who should
be able to proudly remember that this is a place where genius finds
it's name!
In anticipation of your recognition,
Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Durham, NC
****
I
support the Pauli Murray Project in their efforts to have a state
marker erected in commemoration of civil rights activist Pauli Murray.
Please do everything in your power to facilitate the creation of a state
marker recognizing Pauli Murray. Thank you.
Karen Glynn
Alabama Avenue
Durham, NC
****
I'm
writing to urge you to approve a state marker in the Durham community
to honor Pauli Murray, a great civil rights & women's rights
champion. Pauli Murray initiated many 'firsts' in our state &
community, including the first female African-American priest in the
Episcopal Church in the United States, after which she performed her
first Eucharist at the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel
Hill.
However, she also has missed some 'firsts' by virtue of the
formal & informal Jim Crow laws that denied her entry to UNC law
school, as well as the UNC School of Social Work. As she became the
first African American person to receive a J.S.D. from Yale Law School
(& many other positions of honor), this shameful denied entry
underscores the loss to our community & state experienced by denial
of African American leaders to positions of influence, to education that
would help get them there.
In some small degree, a marker
in her honor can effect a restoration of respect to a woman who did not
become bitter from these rejections - rather she championed a country
that would have "...no north or south, no black or white, no male or
female—only the spirit of
love and reconciliation drawing us all toward the goal of human wholeness.”
Len C. Stanley
North Mangum Street
Durham, NC
****
I am writing in support of a historical marker honoring a great leader and resident of Durham, Pauli Murray.
I
heard about her within months of arriving in Durham in 1994 and
immediately found a copy of her autobiography. What an amazing life
lived surfing the waves of modern transforming history. Civil rights,
reclaiming proud African-American history and preserving slave memories,
women's rights - all key moments where Ms. Murray was at the front
lines. (Sometimes creating the front lines.) As a member of NOW in 1972,
I am sad that I did not know then how much I owed Pauli Murray for
helping create a group that has changed so much of our U.S. landscape
and my life.
Then I read Proud Shoes and was thrilled with the
artistic writing style and the collected history of Durham so well
preserved. I was inspired to go on a quest to find her family home near
the cemetery, since I happened to be reading the 1987 published version.
I've driven by her home many times since then with carloads of visitors
hearing her story told by me. More recently, my tours include all the
wonderful murals in her honor - which take my visitors all over SW
central Durham. We read Proud Shoes in my book group and it inspired a
lively discussion about women's lives, Durham history, and the
inter-weaving of many families.
Now, with the Pauli Murray
project introducing new information and creating new venues for
conversation and growth, Murray's life inspires us all to talk together
about race and gender in the 21st century and then walk the talk.
Susan Sewell
Legion Ave
Durham, NC
****
The
State marker for Pauli Murray shares the celebration of a champion for
civil and human rights, who grew up in Durham in our neighborhood. We
want to share this history with the city of Durham, neighbors and our
children. This state marker brings forth history which should not be
hidden.
Deborah Jolly
West End
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing to solicit your favorable support of the marker placement in
honor of Pauli Murray. This historical factor would add a significant
cultural and legendary element to the prosperity of Durham and its past.
This marker would represent the chronicled life of Pauli Murray, and
serve as a positive influence for the future of our city and community.
Rose
Durham, NC
****
I
definitely support having a marker for Pauli Murray. After moving to
Durham, I was pleased to discover "Proud Shoes," in which the Rev.
Murray writes about her childhood in a home not far from my own, but in a
very different time. Her account of her grandparents' lives is a
wonderful and informative account of the generation that saw the Civil
War, the end of slavery, and the rise of a free people in the post-war
South. And, of course, she was also a ground-breaking civil rights
advocate, whose writing was important in making the case for
desegregation in "Brown V. Board of Education."
Recently, I
attended a meeting near my home of local people working to restore Pauli
Murray's childhood home. I'm hopeful this will occur. Certainly, the
least we can do to honor this daughter of Durham is a historic marker.
Ken Macdonald
Cobb Street
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing to show my support for placing a historical marker for Pauli
Murray in the West End area of Durham, NC. She was a wonderful example
for us all about living ones life with integrity. She worked for social
change in so many arenas; personal, public, political, religious.... you
name it. The marker would be something Durham could be proud of and use
for the education of all about her life.
BJ Fusaro
****
I
am writing in support of a state marker for Pauli Murray's life in this
community. Her story, her book, her involvement in this town and its
people, and her achievements should all be more widely known, both to
honor her and to inspire those who live here and who pass this way.
There are already a number of local markers paying homage to her zeal,
her passion and her words. How nice it would be for the state commission
to recognize this homegrown movement to praise her contributions, and
to draw attention to it in a way that would make this clear to those
beyond Durham.
Wendy
Durham
****
I would like to
express my support for The Pauli Murray Project’s request to get a
state marker celebrating this champion for civil and human rights, who
grew up in Durham. Please approve a marker for Pauli Murray.
In
my book club, we read her family history called Proud Shoes, and I was
impressed with her courage and pioneering efforts in the areas of civil
and human rights, as well as her very “American” story. Durham and the
state of NC should be proud to claim her as its own.
As a
historian, attorney, poet, activist, teacher and Episcopal priest, she
worked throughout her life to address injustice, to give voice to the
unheard, to educate, and to promote reconciliation between races and
economic classes. Her beautifully written memoir, Proud Shoes: The Story
of an American Family, was published in 1956. The book chronicles her
roots and paints a compelling portrait of Durham during its formative
years.
Tania Dautlick
East Forest Hills Blvd
Durham NC
****
I
would like to support in any way possible the erection of a state
historic marker to honor the life of Pauli Murray. She is an important
figure both nationally and locally. Her life is an inspiration to all
those who value social, economic, and human justice. The fact that she
is from Durham makes this marker imperative as one of many steps our
community can take to commemorate her life.
Victor Gordon
West Woodridge Drive
Durham, NC
****
I
fully endorse the idea of a Pauli Murray historical marker. She
embodies so many values we should hold up in our community: persistence
in the face of race prejudice, high education achievement, breaking not
only racial barriers but theological ones, her wisdom. As a member of
the queer community, I will feel diminished if the decision is made not
to approve such a marker.
Faith S. Holsaert
Sprunt Street
Durham, NC
****
A marker for Pauli Murray's home is a great beginning toward recognizing her home appropriately.
Pauli
Murray accomplished so much in so many fields that if we were put up a
marker for each worthy achievement in each field, the front yard would
be more festooned with markers than her back yard, which is saying a
lot.
Some would protest recognizing her accomplishments because
some of her accomplishments were not only controversial in her own time,
but remain controversial. However, even for those who may disagree with
aspects of her life, were they to focus on the parts of her life that
they agree with, they would see plenty of achievement worth marking.
Philip Azar
Monmouth Ave
Durham, NC
****
As
co-chair of the Southwest Durham Quality of Life project Steering
Committee we were responsible for the Pauli Murray Place project off
Jackson Street. We also engaged Brett Cook, an artist, to do the
numerous Pauli Murray based murals in Durham. I am not longer with SWCD
QOL but as Executive Director of NEEM and invested personally in
recognition of Pauli Murray I whole heatedly support and ask that the
State move forward with a marker that officially gives her the
recognition she deserves in Durham.
Jeffrey Ensminger
Natural Environmental and Ecological Management (NEEM)
****
I
am a property owner in the west end of Durham. In fact I proudly own
one of the buildings in Durham that has a mural of Pauli on it. A marker
to honor her many contributions to our society will express this city's
awareness of our privilege in being able to claim her as our own!
Please support moving forward on this effort.
Hettie Johnson
Durham, NC
****
It
would be great to have a state marker honoring this incredible lady, Ms
Pauli Murray. Below is only a portion of the many reasons she should
be recognized in this way.
Bill Newton
Durham, NC
Born
in Baltimore in 1910, Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray moved to Durham in
1914 to live with her aunt, Pauline Fitzgerald Dame, after the sudden
death of her mother. While living in Durham, she resided with her family
on Carroll Street and was raised by her aunt and her maternal
grandparents, Robert George Fitzgerald and Cornelia Smith Fitzgerald.
She graduated from Hillside High School in Durham in 1923 and Hunter
College in 1933. Murray had a mixed-race heritage, which included both
white slave owners and African American slaves from North Carolina
(maternal grandmother) and Irish and free people of color from
Pennsylvania (maternal grandfather). She described her experiences
growing up in a mixed-race family in Durham in her 1956 book, Proud
Shoes: The Story of an American Family
****
I would like to add my vote for getting a state marker for Pauli Murray.
Fran Wilson
Durham, NC
****
Please
support the proposed marker for Pauli Murray. Durham residents need to
know the importance of her contribution to American history.
Billy Stevens
President, Lakewood Park Community Association
****
As
a long time Durham resident and business owner, I urge you to approve a
state historic marker honoring Pauli Murray and all she accomplished.
This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the life of a human rights
activist whose work still resonates and influences today. She is just
one of the many reasons I am proud to call Durham home.
Carol Anderson
Demerius Street
Durham NC
****
I
am writing to encourage your support for a marker commemorating the
life, work, and ideals of Pauli Murray. Pauli Murray was a leader and
visionary for all people, and Durham should proudly celebrate her
connections to our city. A state marker will serve as a great reminder
of her vision and accomplishments, and inspire Durham to live up to her
legacy.
Marya McNeish
Durham, NC
****
I write in
support of the creation of a marker in honor of Pauli Murray, one of
Durham's most significant historical residents. She was a champion for
civil and human rights whose accomplishments deserve to be recognized
and honored with a state marker.
Retta Walpole
Durham, NC
****
Please approve a state marker for Pauli Murray. Thank you!
Susan Graff
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing in support of the erecting a state marker celebrating Pauli
Murray for her contribution to the civil rights movement. Her role has a
particular connection to the triangle, both for the early years she
spent here, but also for her focus on equality in education -- an
industry that plays a critical role in the vibrant history and economy
of Durham and Chapel Hill.
Please lend your attention and support to the efforts to honor her.
Harriet Baker
Durham, NC
****
I
think it would be a wonderful thing to have a historical marker
commemorating Pauli Murray in Durham! Heaven knows we have enough signs
about former tobacco barons and confederate heroes. She's someone we
would do well to remember and emulate.
John Utz
Green Street
Durham, NC
****
Our
book club read Proud Shoes and enjoyed it. We couldn't figure out
exactly where she grew up so a marker would be most appreciated.
Pat Carstensen
Newton Drive
Durham, NC
****
This
letter is to support a marker for the historically significant life and
work of Pauli Murray. Pauli Murray's leadership and vision for all
people, including those in Durham should be remembered on a state marker
to remind everyone of her accomplishments and inspire everyone to live
up to her legacy.
David Watts
Durham, NC
****
Please consider a state marker for Pauli Murray.
This
community has done a lot to educate Durham on who this person was and
what her works has done for the community and Durham. Thanks.
Denice M. Johnson
Durham, NC
****
I
join with all of the Durham residents who are requesting a historical
marker in Durham to honor the memory of Durham's Pauli Murray.
Ann McNally Sink
Old Sugar Road
Durham, NC
****
Please
add my name to the long list of Durham residents who are hoping that
the state will approve a marker to honor the life and works of Pauli
Murray.
Her life is an inspiration to us all and a marker would
show that we, the people of Durham, respect and admire this champion of
human and civil rights.
Liz Wildermann
Durham, NC
****
I
consider Pauli Murray one of my favorite local heroes who fought for
the kind of community, and state, and world that I want to live in. I
admire her lifelong struggle for human rights and social justice, her
life of love and commitment to equality as a member of the LGBTQ
community, and her work in religion-at-its-best -- an eye on the sacred
allowing us to transform hate and division into love, reconciliation and
wholeness.
I urge you to approve the proposed state marker that
would help others in our state learn about this wonderful woman who has
given us so much. Thank you for your consideration and all you do.
Dani Martinez-Moore
Raleigh, NC
****
I
am writing to express my support for the creation, as well as the
placing, of a marker, recognizing the talent, determination, efforts and
accomplishments of longtime Durham Resident, Pauli Murray.
Ms.
Murray's life uniquely represents our ever-present efforts to move from
under the shadow of slavery, into a free and integrated society.
Whether
it be her ability to reconcile the views of the oppressed with the
oppressor (having been the creation of intimate relations between a
slave owner and that of a slave); challenging the admissions process at
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; becoming the first
African-American in the United States to earn the designation of
Episcopal Priest; or, navigating her way through the difficult task of
attaining an Undergraduate Degree, Masters in Law, as well as a Juris
Doctor from one of the Country's finest Law Schools (University of
California - Berkley), Ms. Murray's life provides an eternal sense of
hope; representing a brightly shining example of housing for the
homeless, friendship for the lonely, educational opportunity for the
poor, equality for the female, representation for the poor, freedom for
the oppressed and lastly, salvation and reconciliation with our lord
God, through Jesus Christ.
Clearly her life has touched - and paved the way for - others; to the extent that official recognition is appropriate.
As
a Citizen of Durham, NC I can state with the utmost confidence that Ms.
Murray's name is regarded in the highest manner, by Durhamites of all
form, no matter what type of environment I find myself in at the time;
whether it be a Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People meeting,
Durham Inter Neighborhood Council Session, a Democratic Party
gathering, or a Durham People's Alliance meeting -- the life of Ms.
Pauli Murray was such that it has left a mark of distinction on the
City.
Such stature deserves nothing less than an official marker,
detailing the life, determination, heroism and accomplishment, of Ms.
Murray.
Darius Mercedes Little
Durham, NC
****
I
am writing in strong support of a state marker for Pauli Murray, an
incredible champion for civil and human rights who grew up in Durham. As
a queer black historian, attorney, poet, activist, teacher and
Episcopal priest, she worked throughout her life to address injustice,
to give voice to the unheard, to educate, and to promote reconciliation
between races and economic classes. Her beautifully written memoir,
Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, was published in 1956. The
book chronicles her roots and paints a compelling portrait of Durham
during its formative years.
Thank you very much for ensuring that
the legacy of this amazing person is preserved to inspire many more
generations of Durham residents.
Tasseli McKay
Bynum, NC
****
Please approve a state marker for Pauli Murray.
Pauli
Murray was a champion for civil and human rights who grew up in Durham.
Her insights and vision continue to resonate powerfully in our times.
As a historian, attorney, poet, activist, teacher and Episcopal priest,
she worked throughout her life to address injustice, to give voice to
the unheard, to educate, and to promote reconciliation between races and
economic classes. By being true to herself in expressing her queerness
and genderqueerness, she provides a positive role model that is
necessary for our youth right now. Her beautifully written memoir,
Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, was published in 1956. The
book chronicles her roots and paints a compelling portrait of Durham
during its formative years.
Beth Bruch
Iredell Street
Durham, NC
****
I
too would like to encourage your support for a marker commemorating the
life, work, and ideals of Pauli Murray. Pauli Murray was a leader and
visionary for all people. Her work and accomplishments should make
Durham proud. As someone else state earlier "Durham should proudly
celebrate her connections to our city. A state marker will serve as a
great reminder of her vision and accomplishments, and inspire Durham to
live up to her legacy."
Lisa
****
Please support the installation of a historical marker recognizing the work of Pauli Murray.
Nancy Rizzo,
Durham, NC
****
Pauli
Murray was a remarkable leader in the civil rights movement, labor
movement, and the women's movement. As a lawyer, teacher, writer, poet,
prophet, and priest, she was on the cutting edge of social change
movements for four decades in the United States.
Rama Mills
****
North
Carolina can be very proud of this remarkable woman who grew up in
Durham, and a marker will help to educate the public about her. It is
particularly appropriate to recognize Pauli Murray with a marker this
year, since we celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth.
Laura Beach
Durham, NC
****
Pauli
Murry's pioneering accomplishments definitely deserve formal
recognition by the state. Please consider honoring her with a NC
historic marker.
Mary M. Wible
Durham, NC
****
Please
approve installing a state marker in honor of Durham's inspiring native
daughter Pauli Murray. Adding a state marker for her would certainly
honor an important and underrecognized figure in the history of our
city, our state and our nation, and would further a sense of pride in
the community that cherishes its connection with her remarkable person
and accomplishments. Thank you.
Stacey Craig Riberdy
Durham, NC
"Great
art is not a matter of presenting one side or another, but presenting a
picture so full of the contradictions, tragedies, and insights of the
period that the impact is at once disturbing and satisfying." Pauli
Murray
****
I am writing to support a state marker celebrating this champion for civil and human rights, who grew up in Durham. Here's why:
Pauli
Murray was a champion for civil and human rights who grew up in Durham.
Her insights and vision continue to resonate powerfully in our times.
As a historian, attorney, poet, activist, teacher and Episcopal priest,
she worked throughout her life to address injustice, to give voice to
the unheard, to educate, and to promote reconciliation between races and
economic classes. Her beautifully written memoir, Proud Shoes: The
Story of an American Family, was published in 1956. The book chronicles
her roots and paints a compelling portrait of Durham during its
formative years.
More Background: Born in Baltimore in 1910, Anna
Pauline "Pauli" Murray moved to Durham in 1914 to live with her aunt,
Pauline Fitzgerald Dame, after the sudden death of her mother. While
living in Durham, she resided with her family on Carroll Street and was
raised by her aunt and her maternal grandparents, Robert George
Fitzgerald and Cornelia Smith Fitzgerald. She graduated from Hillside
High School in Durham in 1923 and Hunter College in 1933. Murray had a
mixed-race heritage, which included both white slave owners and African
American slaves from North Carolina (maternal grandmother) and Irish and
free people of color from Pennsylvania (maternal grandfather). She
described her experiences growing up in a mixed-race family in Durham in
her 1956 book, Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family.
She
went on to graduate at the top of her class from Howard Law School,
receive her master's in law from the University of California -
Berkeley's Boalt Hall Law School and then to be the first African
American person to receive a J.S.D. from Yale Law School. She was a
civil and human rights activist, a founder of the National Organization
for Women and the first African American woman to be ordained an
Episcopal priest. She published many articles, essays, books, poems and
sermons. She was an advisor to Eleanor Roosevelt and was appointed by
President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to the President's Commission on the
Status of Women, Committee on Civil and Political Rights.
Although
she lived much of her adult life outside of North Carolina, there are
two aspects of her life that are particularly significant to North
Carolina, particularly as they relate to African-American history and
the civil rights movement: her campaign for admission to the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her ordination as the first female
African-American priest in the Episcopal Church in the United States,
after which she performed her first Eucharist at the Chapel of the Cross
Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill.
The Campaign for UNC: In 1938,
Murray applied to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for
admission to the university's graduate program in applied social work.
Under the leadership of UNC President Frank Porter Graham, the
university's applied social work department was a national leader in the
study of race relations in the late 1930s. However, the department had
no black students or faculty at the time Murray applied, and her
application was rejected pursuant to a North Carolina law that denied
black students admission to the University. Murray led a campaign with
the support of Lewis Alston, editor of the Carolina Times and other
activists to challenge the decision of the University. While she
received public support, the NAACP chose not to take her case and UNC
did not admit African Americans to its graduate programs until 1951.
Murray's early campaign was widely credited by civil rights leaders in
the state as paving the way for the
desegregation of higher education in North Carolina.
Ordination
as the First African-American Woman Episcopal Priest: Pauli Murray was
one of the first women and the first African-American woman to be
ordained in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Raised
in the Episcopal faith, Murray entered seminary in 1973 and was
ordained four years later. After her ordination at the National
Cathedral in Washington, DC, she presided over her first Eucharist at
the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal in Chapel Hill, where her slave
grandmother had been baptized in 1854. She described the historical
significance of this event in her autobiography, Songs in a Weary
Throat, describing herself at that moment as a "Descendant of slave and
of slave owner . . . now I was empowered to minister the sacrament of
One in whom there is no north or south, no black or white, no male or
female-only the spirit of love and reconciliation drawing us all toward
the goal of human wholeness."
In 2008, the first woman Bishop of
the Episcopal Church in the United States, Rev. Katharine Jefferts
Schiori, recognized the historical nature of Murray's ordination while
visiting the Chapel of the Cross. In 2009, the North Carolina's
Episcopal Diocese Convention passed a resolution asking that the Rev.
Dr. Pauli Murray be added to the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal
Church in recognition of the her significance and the impact she has had
across the nation and around the world. Murray died in Pittsburgh on
July 1, 1985 after battling cancer.
Tema Okun
Durham, NC
****
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