Dear friends,
I'm writing this note to you on Nov. 4th, on the eve of what will be yet another consequential Election Day. When you read this, we will likely have begun navigating the headwinds of the election results and ultimate election outcome. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray envisioned, for her lifetime, an America that we continue to aspire towards. A nation where each person lives a free, dignified life, without concern for their rights or shrinking any part of their identity. As a 30-something, Pauli Murray offered strategies for how they sought to advocate for this America: "...by persuasion, by spiritual resistance, by the power of [their] pen, and by inviting violence upon [their] own body...by positive and embracing methods." As you consider the strategies you've employed to help us achieve the America we are still striving towards, remember that Pauli Murray reminds us that freedom is our inheritance. As we navigate this election's outcome, we must also take up Murray's charge that comes as a result of that inheritance: we are heirs to the "...tradition of an endless march toward freedom..." Though they may feel so, these times are not unprecedented. Rev. Dr. Murray lived in times where democracy hung in the balance. So did her parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. Steward your inheritance with care. Our work does not end after November 5th.
Onward,
Angela M. Mason
Executive Director
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice