Black History Is American History: Celebrating Pauli Murray
“When my brothers try to draw a circle to exclude me, I shall draw a larger circle to include them.” The Rev. Pauli Murray, 1945
This month in E-News, we will highlight the stories of Black Americans who have had a significant impact on American life and culture and who also share a connection with the Episcopal Church. I can’t think of a better person to get us started than the Rev. Pauli Murray. Murray was a poet, writer, activist, labor organizer, legal theorist, and Episcopal priest whose ideas shaped legal arguments for racial and gender equality, including, but not limited to, the overturning of Plessy vs. Ferguson. As a Black person who struggled with sexuality and gender, Murray deeply understood the burden of inequality and the vital importance of working towards equity and inclusion. In 2012, Murray was added to the book commemorating Episcopal Saints and Holy Days, Holy Women, Holy Men for her advocacy of the universal cause of freedom and as the first African American female priest ordained by the Episcopal Church.
You can read more about Murray's story in this article and, in the near future, through the new documentary, “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and is currently seeking distribution.
Liberating God, we thank you most heartily for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well: Unshackle us from bonds of prejudice and fear so that we show forth your reconciling love and true freedom, which you revealed through your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
– Collect from Holy Women, Holy Men.
