This tour opportunity begins with time to explore the outdoor exhibits and grounds. Once you’re ready to enter inside, our knowledgeable staff will guide you through the interior of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s home through the interactive exhibits and remarkable historic space. Advanced registration is required.
🎉 Celebrate Pauli Murray’s Birthday with us on Saturday, November 16th! 🎉
Join our special drop-in celebration from 10 AM - 2 PM, featuring free entry and the chance to explore our inaugural exhibit. Stop by to say hello, and indulge in a delicious custom Pauli Murray cupcake* from @rocakestudio!
If you’d like to honor Pauli’s legacy with a birthday gift, please check the link in our bio. Your support will help us to lift up Pauli’s life and legacy in this new season. Thank you for your support! ✨
*Free cupcakes available on a first come, first served basis.
Explore the Pauli Murray Center’s grounds and interior at your own pace. Discover interactive exhibits both inside and outside as you learn about the remarkable person raised here. We recommend allowing about 60 minutes for your visit.
Please arrive promptly for your scheduled timeslot. Guests who arrive more than 30 minutes after their scheduled time may not be granted access to the space.
Reservations required at least 24 hours in advance.
This tour opportunity begins with time to explore the outdoor exhibits and grounds. Once you’re ready to enter inside, our knowledgeable staff will guide you through the interior of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s home through the interactive exhibits and remarkable historic space. Advanced registration is required.
Explore the Pauli Murray Center’s grounds and interior at your own pace. Discover interactive exhibits both inside and outside as you learn about the remarkable person raised here. We recommend allowing about 60 minutes for your visit.
Please arrive promptly for your scheduled timeslot. Guests who arrive more than 30 minutes after their scheduled time may not be granted access to the space.
Reservations required at least 24 hours in advance.
Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray is a 90-minute 1-square mile tour around the historic West End Neighborhood of Durham. Tour goers will visit 6 stops and be inspired by Pauli Murray's legacy and the unique contributions of the Fitzgerald family to the educational, economic, and cultural fabric of Durham.
Aya Shabu and Conductors share emancipation strategies from the voices of a Black Civil War soldier, the Freedman Schools movement, and from unsung s/hero Pauli Murray - a relentless pioneer and activist of Black civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights.
For the safety and enjoyment of all participants on the tour, please be advised that the tour route includes two moderate hills (one ascending and one descending), limited public sidewalks, and uneven ground.
Be advised: The rain date is the fourth Saturday of the same month at 10 a.m. There will not be a rain date for November, and participants will be fully refunded.
By attending this tour, all participants assume full responsibility for their own safety and well-being and that of the minors accompanying them on the tour regardless of the weather conditions. And agree to hold harmless Whistle Stop Tours, its tour operators, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and its staff and personnel from any liability causing personal injury to any of the participants during this tour.
This tour is a collaboration between Whistle-Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.
Explore Pauli Murray’s childhood home at your own pace with our self-guided tour option. Advanced registration is required. Sign up here - https://www.ticketsource.us/pauli-murray-center-for-history-and-social-justice
Join the NCBA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee and the North Carolina Bar Foundation for a Name Change Clinic. Individuals will have an opportunity to meet with attorneys and legal professionals to discuss and/or begin the name change process. Appointments are required. Sign up here -> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/name-change-clinic-durham-tickets-1013675269017
Join us to engage in a compelling conversation about millennials, faith, and spirituality.
gOD-Talk is a groundbreaking project led by the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life in association with Pew Research Center. Featuring leading millennial voices, gOD-Talk amplifies their individual and shared experiences in a curated conversation streamed to audiences online across the United States and around the world. The rise of the “spiritual but not religious” designation has led to a decline of millennial participation in mainline religious traditions with many questioning the relevance, mission, and overall purpose of organized religion in the 21st century.
The film screening will be followed by a talkback led by Rev. Teddy Reeves, Curator of Religion at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, featuring Rev. Racquel C.N. Gill (Duke Chapel), Justice Hill (Duke Divinity School), Taylor Stewart (NCCU), and Rev. Gloria Winston (NCCU).
A reception with light refreshments will follow the screening and talkback.
Registration: https://tinyurl.com/gODtalks24
Event Details
Participants will learn about the history of Durham and its importance in Murray’s legacy. At each stop, participants will receive selected prayers, meditations, and conversation starters to encourage reflection and fellowship.
The full pilgrimage route is 4.5 miles, but it's up to you how long you walk.
Starting at the Pauli Murray Center, located at 906 Carroll Street. Then, make your way along the American Tobacco Trail to the Veranda at Whitted (Historic Hillside high school), St. Titus' Episcopal Church, and Stanford L. Warren Library.
You can begin the journey anytime between 10:30 and 11:30 AM, but we ask that you do not begin the pilgrimage after 11:30 AM.
You can walk the entire route or use our modified 1-mile option. There will be a shuttle service along the route for walkers who want to return to the Pauli Murray Center at any point.
Join us for this historic opportunity to be one of the first visitors to step inside the newly renovated space, as we celebrate all those who helped us succeed in creating a visitor-ready Pauli Murray Center! While we have loved journeying alongside you through programming that was outdoors, virtual, and at satellite locations, we are excited to welcome you home into this historic and cherished space.
No matter when you arrive, there will be opportunities to celebrate this exciting occasion! Outside on the grounds, visitors can enjoy a festival atmosphere signature Pauli Murray refreshments, meditation and reflection opportunities, a youth activity zone, and tabling space for our community partners! On our main stage, we've invited countless community leaders, artists, and partners to share thanksgivings, original poetry, music, and more.
The Center’s inaugural exhibit, “Pauli Murray: Coming Home,” chronicles Rev. Dr. Murray’s complex life, multifaceted work, and resounding legacy will be available to be viewed by those with timed-entry passes to enter inside the home. The exhibit lifts up four themes to share this story: identity, home, activism, and family.
Timed Entry Passes to enter inside the home are sold out, but we still encourage everyone to stop by to enjoy this historic celebration! More opportunities to experience the exhibits and interior of Pauli’s home are coming soon!
Join Erika W. Wilson, Professor of Law, Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar, and Director of the Critical Race Lawyering Civil Rights Clinic at UNC-Chapel Hill; Serena Sebring, Executive Director of Blueprint NC; and Stormie Daie, member of the House of Coxx, for a panel on the lessons that Pauli's legacy holds for progressive struggle in the 21st century. Moderated by Antonia Randolph, Assistant Professor of American Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Meet our Panel:
Erika K. Wilson is a Professor of Law and the Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Her areas of expertise include civil litigation, civil rights, clinical legal education, critical race theory, education law, and public policy. Her scholarship was cited by United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissenting opinion in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard Coll., 600 U.S. 181, 337 (2023). Professor Wilson is also the founder of the Critical Race Lawyering Civil Rights Clinic, a clinic that teaches law students how to bridge the gap between Critical Race Theory as an academic discipline and the practice of law.
Serena Sebring is a queer Black feminist, mother, organizer, and educator. Sebring joined the Blueprint NC team in 2020, after more than 10 years of experience in building power, community organizing, policy campaigns, and base-building. Previously, she served as Regional Organizing Lead for Southerners on New Ground (SONG). Serena received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2005, her M.A. in Sociology from Duke University in 2008, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Duke University, in 2012. Since 2005, she has woven and nurtured relationships across the state with organizers, artists, policy-makers, workers, parents, and caregivers on front porches, in church basements and city council rooms, at the statehouse and in the streets.
Raafe Purnsley is an NC native and proud queer black fem. Purnsley utilizes the character, Stormie Daie, to connect with their queer community and become an emcee, educator, and performer. Purnsley, as Stormie Daie, has been able to create safe space for queer people and has been afforded many amazing opportunities like modeling for New York Fashion Week, emceeing a Nat'l Trans Prom on the steps of Capital, and appearing in Vogue. Stormie is blessed to share her life with a fellow activist, and future nurse, Joaquin Carcaño, where they live with their three mutts in Durham. Here Purnsley and Daie have the honor of facilitating queer community whether it be as a Drag Story Reader, teaching Science with Stormie, or simply serving it on stages like the historic Carolina Theater.
Antonia Randolph (moderator) is the Jonathon M. Hess Term Assistant Professor of American Studies at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her book, The Wrong Kind of Different: Challenging the Meaning of Diversity in American Classrooms (Teachers College 2012), examined the hierarchies elementary school teachers constructed among students of color. She has published in Scalawag and The Feminist Wire. Her current book project, That's My Heart: Queering Intimacy in Hip-Hop Culture, forthcoming from University of California Press, examines portrayals of black male intimacy in hip-hop culture.
Happy summer from the Pauli Murray Center! As a center, we strive to model Pauli Murray in all we do, so this summer, we have decided to host our first ever gender-affirming clothing swap! Join us for a day of fun, music, education, and grab a few clothing items while you’re there! Our event will be held July 27th, 1-4 pm at (insert location). Please make sure to stop by, bring an article of clothing, or donate in advance to any of our designated donation locations!
This conversation, hosted by the Community Remembrance Coalition—Chatham & The Chatham Community NAACP Branch #5377, will explore how Pauli Murray fundamentally shaped our understanding of equality and American constitutional jurisprudence.
Murray’s legal impact and scholarship defined and defended the rights of African Americans, women, and LGBTQ+ people. Through their fight for gender equality, the elimination of Jim Crow, and the development of an intersectional legal approach, Dr. Murray was a true trailblazer.
Join us for a service to commemorate the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray at Pauli's childhood church, St. Titus’ Episcopal. This annual service includes an original liturgy and a choir drawn from across the city. It draws an incredibly diverse group to a historically African American church and has become a beloved annual event for many people. While this is a Christian Episcopal service, all are welcome to attend!
Join the NCBA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee and the North Carolina Bar Foundation on July 20th for a Name Change Clinic. Individuals will have an opportunity to meet with attorneys and legal professionals to discuss and/or begin the name change process. Appointments are required.
Join the Pauli Murray Center and other West End neighbors as we clebrate Juneteenth!
Enjoy activities for youth and families, vendors, live entertainment, music, food, and more.
This event is sponsored by the West End/Lyon Park Legacy Project.
Join us as we celebrate Pride Month with Stormie Daie! Stormie will share excerpts of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray's writings with our community during this Drag Story Hour.
About Stormie Daie:
Stormie Daie is a black non-binary femme southerner from Durham, NC. Daie has worked a decade in drag as an entertainer, emcee and show producer. Daie strives to provide joy for community by creating safe space and uplifting the works and talents of black, queer, and trans peoples. Daie has a background in Environmental and Ecological Science, which she utilizes in her in person and online series, “Science with Stormie” where she explores how “Everything is Science and Science is Everything!”. Not only is Daie a science educator, but they work directly with Drag Story Hour Nationals to be the local story reading ambassador for their local Drag Story Hour Chapter, DSH Triangle. Daie also is an amateur LGBTQ and NC historian and teaches about the history of Drag and queer activism. Daie is a joy-monger and works effortlessly in her heels, frocks, and fabulousness to educate whilst entertaining and uplifting queer community through an intersectional and creative lens on and off the stage. Check out her dates and community of orgs here:
https://youtube.com/@stormiedaie122?si=sFf2031daKx...
Join the Museum of Durham History, the Durham County Library, and the Pauli Murray Center as we welcome Rosita Stevens-Holsey. Ms. Stevens-Holsey, one of Pauli Murray’s nieces and PMC Board member, will share excerpts and insights from her book: Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist.
Cost: Free; Registration Required. Register here.
The Center will restart the monthly book club this January! This month, we'll meet on January 31st virtually at 6:00 PM with two co-facilitators, Torrianna Foster and Gabrielle Fields. Visit your local library or bookstore to grab a copy! Sign up below to receive the Zoom link.
Summary: As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.
Gabrielle is a community builder and collaborative systems strategist who is passionate about food sovereignty, advancing symbiotic relationships, and loving people. She is currently the Executive Director at Franklinton Farms, an urban farm and education nonprofit located just west of downtown Columbus, Ohio where she puts that passion into practice. Gabrielle believes that accessible, abundant, and familiar food is a major part of community care and perseverance and is excited to learn and reflect with us!
The Center is gearing up for November book club! This month, we'll meet virtually on November 29th at 6:00 PM to discuss Indigenous liberation movements. Visit your local library or bookstore to grab a copy! RSVP below to let us know you're coming!
Summary: Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden — but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves.
CW: **This book contains gore, death, and graphic depictions of both medical and sexual violence. While it is a dystopian/apocalyptic read, this content may be too heavy for some readers. Please be gentle with yourself as you read. For a full list of content warnings and resources, visit: Book Trigger Warnings.
The Pauli Murray Center book club is a monthly meeting where activists, creatives, and book lovers come together to explore a book or set of selections. The selected books, essays, videos, or interviews highlight LGBTQ+ and Black/Indigenous/People of Color authors and span genres. Register to receive the Zoom links and updates about our in-person gatherings!
Sunday closes us out with a Sunday Service in collaboration with NorthStar Church of the Arts. This non-traditional service honors Rev. Dr. Murray’s fearless pursuit of spiritual wholeness and embodiment - both as a priest and a person.
You are invited to join PMC, Mobile Homecoming, and Radical Healing as we create space and ritual to remind us that healing is a practice of community care and justice.
Bring your full self to the service and enjoy a gathering that was made with intention and inclusion in mind.
**This event is FREE to the public but donations to PMC and/or our collaborators are greatly appreciated!
11AM - 1PM EDT
NorthStar Church of the Arts
220 W Geer St.
Durham, NC 27701
Parking: Check back soon!
Accessibility: Check back soon!
**This event is FREE to the public but donations to PMC and/or our collaborators are greatly appreciated!
Saturday continues with a housewarming-style birthday party!
You are invited to join PMC and Friends at the Community Family & Recreation Center at Lyon Park to enjoy cupcakes, small party favors, birthday activities, and a live DJ set. Bring the whole family!
Help us honor Rev. Dr. Murray's legacy of joy, community, and witness together. The Center is thrilled to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ with many of Rev. Dr. Murray’s friends!
1PM - 5PM EDT
Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park
1309 Halley St.
Durham, NC 27707
Parking: Lyon Park has both street parking and a parking lot.
Accessibility: Lyon Park has stairs and accessible ramps.
**This event is FREE to the public but donations to PMC and/or our collaborators are greatly appreciated!
Friday opens a weekend of honoring Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray and their fierce commitment to loving our human family during their 113th birthday year.
You are invited to join Whistle Stop Tours and Friends on PMC's front porch to build Pauli’s HeartShip altar and engage in ritual practices that offer guidance into radical release, transformation, and the imagining of our greatest freedoms.
Drop by the Center to leave an offering and we’ll warm you up with cider!
Pauli’s HeartShip was co-designed by Shambo Medina, King Sage, Amber Santibañez, Aya Shabu, and Taylor Mary Webber-Fields.
Come by the Center anytime between 3PM - 5PM
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
906 Carroll Street
Durham, NC 27703
Parking: Please park on the street where available. Avoid parking on the Center’s yard or other driveways.
Accessibility: The site has a small hill that you have to go up and then back down if you wish to place offerings on the porch. Access to the porch requires several stairs.
**This event is FREE to the public but donations to PMC and/or our collaborators are greatly appreciated!
Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray is a 90-minute 1-square-mile tour around the historic West End Neighborhood of Durham. Tour goers will visit 6 stops and be inspired by Pauli Murray's legacy and the unique contributions of the Fitzgerald family to the educational, economic, and cultural fabric of Durham.
Aya Shabu and Conductors share emancipation strategies from the voices of a Black Civil War soldier, the Freedman Schools movement, and from unsung s/hero Pauli Murray - a relentless pioneer and activist of Black civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights.
For the safety and enjoyment of all participants on the tour, please be advised that the tour route includes two moderate hills (one ascending and one descending), limited public sidewalks, and uneven ground.
You can register for 1 of 3 public dates here: https://bit.ly/WSTFALL23
This tour is a collaboration between Whistle-Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.
Join the Resource Center for Women + Ministry in the South for a screening of The Philadelphia Eleven, a groundbreaking story about faith, inclusivity, and the women who transformed an age-old institution.
In 1974 a group of women and their supporters organized their ordination to become Episcopal priests. The ordinations took place at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia and became a media frenzy. In this film, you’ll meet the women who succeeded in transforming The Episcopal Church. Stay for a post-screening discussion with two members of the Philadelphia Eleven, Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward and Rev. Canon Marie Moorefield Fleischer.
Film trailer:
https://www.philadelphiaelevenfilm.com/trailer.html
Tickets are sold out but sign up for the waitlist below!
Sponsors: Resource Center for Women & Ministry in the South, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, the Pauli Murray Center, the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.
Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray is a 90-minute 1-square-mile tour around the historic West End Neighborhood of Durham. Tour goers will visit 6 stops and be inspired by Pauli Murray's legacy and the unique contributions of the Fitzgerald family to the educational, economic, and cultural fabric of Durham.
Aya Shabu and Conductors share emancipation strategies from the voices of a Black Civil War soldier, the Freedman Schools movement, and from unsung s/hero Pauli Murray - a relentless pioneer and activist of Black civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights.
For the safety and enjoyment of all participants on the tour, please be advised that the tour route includes two moderate hills (one ascending and one descending), limited public sidewalks, and uneven ground.
You can register for 1 of 3 public dates here: https://bit.ly/WSTFALL23
This tour is a collaboration between Whistle-Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.
The Center will restart the monthly book club this September. This month, we'll meet on September 27th virtually at 6:30 PM with two co-facilitators. Visit your local library or bookstore to grab a copy! Sign up below to receive the Zoom link.
CW: This book deals with themes of sexual violence, child abuse, and ableism. Please be gentle with yourself as you read. More detailed content warnings can be found online.
Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray is a 90-minute 1-square-mile tour around the historic West End Neighborhood of Durham. Tour goers will visit 6 stops and be inspired by Pauli Murray's legacy and the unique contributions of the Fitzgerald family to the educational, economic, and cultural fabric of Durham.
Aya Shabu and Conductors share emancipation strategies from the voices of a Black Civil War soldier, the Freedman Schools movement, and from unsung s/hero Pauli Murray - a relentless pioneer and activist of Black civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights.
For the safety and enjoyment of all participants on the tour, please be advised that the tour route includes two moderate hills (one ascending and one descending), limited public sidewalks, and uneven ground.
You can register for 1 of 3 public dates here: https://bit.ly/WSTFALL23
This tour is a collaboration between Whistle-Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.
Join North Carolina Humanities for an interactive panel discussion examining themes from the North Carolina Reads selection Pauli Murray: A Personal and Political Life by Troy Saxby.
This panel will explore the life and work of Pauli Murray. This event features author Troy Saxby and Executive Director of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice Barbara Lau in conversation moderated by North Carolina Humanities' Board Trustee Rebecca Reyes.
On April 10th at 3 PM, the Durham Symphony will partner with the Hayti Heritage Center and the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice to honor the life of writer, priest, lawyer, and activist Pauli Murray in words, images, and music.
Tickets:
Children under 12, free
$10 for Students with ID
$25 for adults
Join Brandeis University for a panel on the documentary “My Name Is Pauli Murray.” The discussion will be streamed here.
Join the Brooklyn Museum on International Transgender Day of Visibility for a screening of My Name Is Pauli Murray (Julie Cohen and Betsy West, 2021, 91 min.).
The screening will be followed by a conversation between director Julie Cohen and Dr. Kimberly Springer, curator of the Oral History Archives at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library and long-running collaborator with the Pauli Murray Center. Plus, enjoy an after-hours viewing of The Slipstream: Reflection, Resistance, and Resilience in the Art of Our Time.
Join us for a discussion of Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist with the authors, Rosita Stevens-Holsey and Terry Catasús Jennings, in conversation with Professor Melissa Harris-Perry.
Register for this free event at bit.ly/PauliMurrayBOOK
Order your copy from The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina here: https://www.regulatorbookshop.com/book/9781499812510
Join the Pauli Murray Center and Black Women Radicals for a conversation on February 24th at 6:30 PM (EST) about transforming and queering Black History Month and how we uplift unsung Black queer figures from history.
Register at bit.ly/QueeringBlackHistory
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is located at 906 Carroll St., Durham, NC 27701.
We are pleased to offer many opportunities for visitors to engage with this sacred space through events, public tours, and community gathers. We look forward to welcoming you to this historic place.
Our mailing address is P.O. Box 541, Durham, NC 27702.
