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“Pauli Murray Born
Pauli Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Agnes Fitzgerald and William Murray.”
“Pauli Moves to Durham
Pauli Murray moves to Durham to live with their aunt, Pauline Fitzgerald Dame. Agnes had died of a cerebral hemorrhage and William was unable to care for the six children.”
“Pauli’s Father Murdered
William Murray is murdered at Crownsville State Hospital by a white guard.”
“Pauli Graduates High School
Murray graduates from Hillside High with a certificate of distinction. They received another high school diploma from Richmond Hills High School in New York in 1927 so that s/he could meet entrance requirements at Hunter College.”
“Pauli Graduates College
Murray graduates from Hunter College and goes to work for the Works Project Admission (WPA), Workers Defense League, and as a teacher in the NYC Remedial Reading Project.”
“Pauli Seeks Gender Affirming Treatment
Murray seeks gender-affirming medical treatment, including hormone therapy.”
“Pauli Denied from UNC
S/he attempts to gain admission as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. S/he is rejected due to racism. While the NAACP supports Murray in challenging the school’s segregationist policies, they decide not to pursue the case.”
“Fellowship of Reconciliation
Murray joins the Fellowship of Reconciliation. While traveling through Virginia, s/he is arrested and jailed for refusing to sit on the back of a segregated bus.”
“Howard Law School
S/he enters Howard Law School and is the only non-cisgender man in their class.”
“Odell Waller Executed
Odell Waller is executed. Murray writes a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on behalf of outraged leaders. S/he criticizes the presidents’ failure to improve conditions for Black southerners.”
“Pauli Publishes Article in Common Sense
Murray publishes “Negroes are Fed Up” in Common Sense and an article about the Harlem race riot in the socialist newspaper New York Call. S/he also publishes their famous poem on race relations, “Dark Testament,” in the winter issue of South Today.”
“Pauli Graduates Law School
Murray graduates from Howard Law School first in their class. S/he wins a prestigious fellowship and applies to Harvard Law. S/he is rejected because of her gender despite having President Roosevelt (an alumni of Harvard) write a letter on their behalf. S/he enrolls at University of California’s Boalt Hall Law School to work on a graduate degree in law.”
“Receives Berkley Degree
S/he received a Masters of Law degree (L.L.M.) from University of California, Berkeley. Their master’s thesis is entitled, “The Right to Equal Opportunity in Employment.” S/he passes the California state bar.”
“Pauli’s Aunt Retires
Aunt Pauline retires after teaching for 60 years and moves to NYC to live with Murray.”
“Pauli Receives Award
Murray is named “Merit Award Winner” by Mademoiselle magazine for their legal work against racial and gender discrimination.”
“Enters NYC City Council Race
Murray runs for and receives the fourth-highest vote total in the New York City council race for Brooklyn’s tenth Senatorial district.”
“Wrote Important Law Compilation
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“Falls Victim to McCarthyism
Murray is rejected for a U.S. State Department position administered at Cornell University because the people who supplied their references, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thurgood Marshall, and A. Phillip Randolph, are considered to be “too radical.””
“Aunt Pauline Dies
Pauli Murray’s Aunt Pauline dies. On her deathbed, Pauli reads to her from the Book of Common Prayer.”
“Proud Shoes Published
Pauli Murray’s seminal work Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, a biography of their maternal grandparents, their struggles with racial prejudice, and early Durham history is published.”
“Pauli is Hired at NY Firm
S/he is the only non-cisgender man hired by the NY firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton, and Garrison. There, Murray meets their long-term romantic partner, Irene Barlow.”
“Travels to Ghana
Murray travels to Ghana and takes a position as a senior lecturer at the Ghana School of Law in Accra.”
“JFK Gives Pauli a Political Appointment
John F. Kennedy appoints Murray to the President’s Commission on the Status of Women Committee (PCSW) on Civil and Political Rights. Murray works with A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin and Martin L. King, Jr. on civil rights.”
“Civil Rights Act Passed
U.S. Civil Rights Act passed. Murray co-authors “Jane Crow and the Law: Sex discrimination and Title VII,” in which s/he draws parallels between sex-based discrimination with Jim Crow laws.”
“Receives J.S.D. from Yale
Murray receives a J.S.D from Yale, the first African-American to receive this degree from Yale. Their dissertation was entitled “Roots of the Racial Crisis: Prologue to Policy.””
“Pauli Serves on Co-Counsel
Murray serves as co-counsel in White v. Crook, which successfully eliminates the use of sex and race discrimination in jury selection.”
“Pauli Serves on ACLU Board
Murray serves on the National Board of Directors for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).”
“Pauli Founds NOW
Along with Betty Friedan and thirty others, Murray becomes a founding member of National Organization for Women (NOW).”
“Works at Benedict College
Murray serves as vice-president of Benedict College in Columbia, SC.”
“Becomes a Professor at Brandeis
Murray is tenured as Professor of Law and Politics at Brandeis University.”
“Starts Divinity Education
At age 62, Murray entered General Theological Seminary prior to the Episcopal Church’s approval of women as candidates for ordination.”
“Becomes a Priest
Pauli Murray becomes the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained by the Protestant Episcopal Church. S/he offered the Eucharist for the first time on February 13 at Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC where their grandmother Cornelia was baptized as an enslaved person.”
“Pauli Retires
Murray is forced to retire because Episcopal Church law requires retirement at age seventy-two.”
“Pauli Murray Dies
Pauli Murray dies in Pittsburgh, PA.”
“Pauli’s Autobiography Published
Pauli Murray’s autobiography Song in a Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage is published.”
“Highway Marker Honors Murray
N.C. Department of Archives and History installs a state highway historic marker honoring Pauli Murray ¼ mile north of her childhood home in Durham.”
“Pauli Receives Sainthood
Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray is elevated to the status of sainthood by their inclusion in the Book of Holy Women, Holy Men by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.”