“However small and insignificant our contribution may seem in the face of vast human problems beyond our power to resolve…our tiny gift [can be multiplied] in ways we would not have dreamed possible.” –Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Sermon Given on August 5, 1984
Friends:
I have spent the last couple of weeks listening to Pauli–through her oral history, writings, sermons, and speeches–seeking a specific message: that everything will be ok. Pauli, I’ve found, cannot offer us that reassurance. In fact, what has struck me during this exploration is the prophetic mirror they held up to today. As an elder, Rev. Murray made known the issues that characterized her reality: chaos; a deadly atmosphere that pervaded America; racism; sexism; social injustice and corruption; backlash against affirmative action and gender equality; controversy surrounding capital punishment, LGBTQ rights, abortion, “...and so on.” Pauli also rejected the instinct to fall into despair and hopelessness.
Time and again, Pauli reminds us that the effort to build an America that so many of us envision is a cyclical experiment, characterized by cruelty, pain, defeat, wonder, victory, and joy. This is both the reward and consequence of building a just future for a society that is inherently “morally bankrupt.” However, Pauli also gives us strategies to meet the moment. Do you remember the note I wrote to you in November, on the eve of the election? In it, I offered you the precise and clear ways that Murray chose to implement justice work in their own life. Pauli wants us to be clear about what we can do, because she believes our gifts are transformative. Pauli also gives us clear guidance for how we can do our work to be most impactful: in community, leveraging interdependence; compassionately; and hopefully and patiently (for we may not see the fruits of our efforts).
While this guidance may not make us feel better, it does offer remarkable clarity for how we can move through this era.
Onward,
Angela Thorpe Mason
Executive Director
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
P.S. – I gathered much of this guidance from a compilation of Rev. Murray’s sermons and speeches called To Speak a Defiant Word: Sermons and Speeches on Justice and Transformation. Pick up a copy from your local bookstore. Listening to Dr. Genna Rae McNeil’s 1976 oral history with Pauli Murray (little by little–it’s about 5 hours) has been transformative and grounding, as well. It can be accessed here. There’s nothing like hearing Pauli’s voice.