Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

Bosleys Place

Jewish Fertility Foundation

The Pauli Murray Center is a nationally significant history site, anchored by Pauli Murray’s childhood home built by her grandparents in 1898 at 906 Carroll Street in Durham, North Carolina. By connecting history to contemporary human rights issues, the Pauli Murray Center activates visitors of all ages to stand up for peace, equity and justice.
We are open and welcoming to everyone: students, families, visitors to Durham, people of faith, aspiring young LGBTQ+ activists, civil rights lawyers, divinity school students, artists and poets, history-minded West End neighbors, scholars, and community leaders. Our programming encompasses public history, education, arts and activism. For many, the Center serves as a historic site, incubator, oasis, and sacred space.
Inspiring activism will lead the way to Pauli Murray’s dream for a just world. It is our hope that the Center will launch the next generation of Pauli Murray firebrand leaders – smart, motivated and determined activists who will demand a world that enables all ideas, amplifies many voices and honors everyone’s contributions.
We are excited to celebrate our first year as an open Pauli Murray Center with a robust calendar of workshops, on the ground and virtual education; community dialogues and invitations to action that address enduring inequities; and creative arts programming!

Pauli Murray Pilgrimage Walk + Reflect

Nurturing the Flame of Liberation

Queer History of Durham Tour: Downtown Edition

Sign up for volunteer opportunities

Group cleaning volunteers

Give

News about the Center

Angela M. Mason

Calvetta Watlington

Christen Ruiz

Kristin Hauser

Majesty Royale-Jackson

Danielle Buckingham

Ilana Adlee

Lourdes Cantu

Brandie Ragghianti

Pauline Fitzgerald Dame

Our team will be out of office on Wednesday, November 11th for the federal holiday. There will be no guided tours on this date. We appreciate your understanding!

Happy Birthday Month to the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray! 🎉 Visit the Pauli Murray Center on Saturday, November 21 from 10 AM - 1 PM for free self guided tours of our exhibit in honor of Rev. Dr. Murray's birthday. While you're here, take a moment to participate in our ancestral altar instillation on the front porch of Murray's childhood home. Share this with a friend who hasn't had a chance to visit us yet!

Happy Birthday Month to the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray! 🎉 Celebrate by snagging some Pauli merch from our online store and get FREE shipping with code HAPPYBIRTHDAYPAULI through the end of November! If you have a Pauli fan in your life (or you are a Pauli fan!), this is also a great opportunity to grab some holiday gifts. 🔗 Visit paulimurraycenter.org/store to place your

The Pauli Murray Center presents The Crusaders, a podcast and community archive honoring Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s legacy as a civil rights crusader. Our first episode features Bertha Bradley, affectionately known as "Mama Cookie"—a Durham community leader, mentor, labor organizer, and co-founder of the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW). In this episode, Mama Cookie reflects on her roots in labor organizing, Durham's Black history, and her dedication to passing the torch to younger generations. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Hosted and produced by Danielle Buckingham, Public Historian at the Pauli Murray Center with support from PMC’s 2026 Public History and Storytelling intern Geethika Korrapati and the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Southern Oral History Program.

Meet our 2026 Cohort of Social Justice Teaching Fellows! This year, we're hosting a cohort of 8 Fellows from 6 schools who support students in grades 8–12. This includes educators from Durham Public Schools, public specialized and residential schools, a public charter school, and independent schools. Their teaching expertise spans history, civics, English language arts, research and media literacy, legal studies, and interdisciplinary learning. We are grateful for the partnership of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library for making this year's cohort possible.

The Pauli Murray Center is partnering with spiritual artist Ifasina Clear for the Installation of an ancestral altar on the front steps of Pauli Murray's childhood home. Community members are invited to participate in the installation of the altar on Friday, November 20th at 12 PM. The altar will remain installed and open to the community from 2 PM on Friday until 2 PM on Saturday. No registration is required and participants do not need to bring anything with them. What is an ancestral altar? An ancestral altar is a dedicated sacred space to give honor and reverence to loved ones, ancestors, and spiritual forebears. For our altar, community members will encounter opportunities to reflect, show reverence to, and connect with Murray as a spiritual forebearer. 🗓 Friday, Nov. 20 | 12 PM - 2 PM 📍 The Pauli Murray Center | Durham, NC

Meet our Social Justice Teaching Fellows! 🍎

Did you get a chance to make one of these beautiful prints at our First Year Anniversary Celebration last September? If you missed out, our Pauli Murray Pilgrimage will feature another opportunity to engage with this amazing art! Local artist Alexandria Clay will be on site with a new image of Pauli to assist participants in creating their own unique print. 📅 The Pauli Murray Pilgrimage is Saturday, October 31 at the Lyon Park Center this year! Participation is completely free, but advanced registration is encouraged. 🔗 Sign up through the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/pmcpilgrimage

The Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellowship met for their first institute this past weekend! 📚 The Social Justice Teaching Fellowship is an intensive, cohort-based professional learning experience for middle and high school educators. Fellows study Pauli Murray’s life, ideas, and strategies for change while working directly with archival materials related to civil rights, education, gender equity, labor, legal history, activism, and social movements. The program combines historical study, archival research, primary-source pedagogy, legal and policy guidance, site-based learning, collaborative curriculum development, and public presentation. Fellows move through a shared process: encounter the archive, interrogate the evidence, construct an argument, design for students, receive feedback, revise, and share the work publicly.

Pauli Murray lived one of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century. S/he was the first Black person to earn a JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree from Yale Law School, a founder of the National Organization for Women and the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest. Each year, the Pauli Murray Center’s Pilgrimage invites participants to explore Durham sites connected to the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. This year, we’re making the experience fully accessible by bringing the pilgrimage indoors—no 4-mile walk required! Participants will journey through the Lyon Park Community Center auditorium, where sites significant to Pauli Murray will be represented. At each stop, you’ll learn about its connection to Pauli and Durham history, then have opportunities for reflection, conversation, participation in art instillations, and fellowship. Stops represented include St. Titus Episcopal Church, Standford L. Warren Library, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, and Hillside High School. 📍A map of the physical sites will also be provided for anyone who would like to visit them independently after the event. ❤ Everyone is welcome: You don’t need to be Christian, Episcopalian, religious, or already familiar with Pauli Murray to participate. 💸 This event is free and open to the public! Donations are always welcome. 🍩 FREE catered breakfast will be available for the first 50 people from Monuts bakery! 🔗 While RSVP's are not required, they are strongly encouraged! Those who sign up before October 22 will receive a FREE Pauli Murray bandana at the check in table. Sign up at the link in our bio. 🫶🏾 Thank you to @cityofdurhamnc @creativedurham for your support of this event!

Proud Shoes: the Story of an American Family was first published on October 17, 1956 by Pauli Murray. Through Murray's own family history, this book tells the story of a Black Southern family's survival from the pre-Civil War era through Reconstruction. 📸 Check out some of the covers art Proud Shoes has had throughout the years. 📖 Snag a copy at your local bookstore or library!

"I will resist every attempt to categorize me, to place me in some caste, or to assign me to some segregated pigeonhole. No law which imprisons my body or custom which wounds my spirit can stop me." - Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, “An American Credo” in Common Ground 5, no. 2, pg 22-24 📸 Photo Credit: Shleshinger Library at Harvard

The Pauli Murray Center will be closed on Saturday, October 17th for a private event. We'll be back to welcome you to the Center next weekend!

"The contribution I hope to make as one of the successors to Martin Luther King Jr. is to address myself to the possibility of reconciliation. But reconciliation cannot come without a simultaneous transformation of our society into a caring, humane society." - Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Moving intentionally in the tradition of civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Pauli Murray used her personal religious convictions to advocate for a more just and equitable world. Murray’s theological framework was rooted in the notion that community and reconciliation are necessary parts of social transformation and healing. During a time when conversations around politics and religion can be polarizing, what can Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s theology and overarching legacy of activism teach us about this moment we’re living through? In this moderated panel discussion, contemporary spiritual practitioners will reflect on how Murray’s legacy shows up in their own work and discuss how various spiritual modalities can foster community connection and further our collective liberation through 2026 and beyond. 🔗 RSVP at the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/ntfconversation 📸 Photo Credit: Schleshinger Library at Harvard

Our Communications and Programs Manager is on vacation.. but you should still come visit the Pauli Murray Center this weekend! :)

Each year, the Pauli Murray Center’s Pilgrimage invites participants to explore Durham sites connected to the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. This year, we’re making the experience fully accessible by bringing the pilgrimage indoors—no 4-mile walk required! Participants will journey through the Lyon Park Community Center auditorium, where sites significant to Pauli Murray will be represented. At each stop, you’ll learn about its connection to Pauli and Durham history, then have opportunities for reflection, conversation, and fellowship. You can participate at your own pace and choose from prayers, meditations, or conversation prompts. Stops represented include St. Titus Episcopal Church, Standford L. Warren Library, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, and Hillside High School. 📍A map of the physical sites will also be provided for anyone who would like to visit them independently after the event. ❤ Everyone is welcome: You don’t need to be Christian, Episcopalian, religious, or already familiar with Pauli Murray to participate. 💸 This event is free and open to the public! Donations are always welcome. 🔗 While RSVP's are not required, they are strongly encouraged! Those who sign up before October 22 will receive a FREE Pauli Murray bandana at the check in table. Sign up at the link in our bio. 🫶🏾 Thank you to @cityofdurhamnc @creativedurham for your support of this event!

In her most recent monthly newsletter, our Executive Director Angela Thorpe Mason shares about how she sees our work as healers and connectors in the wake of recent online attacks. Angela writes, "In recent months, the Pauli Murray Center has weathered online attacks. These attacks suggest that the people we serve are of no value. My team and I hold this vile hostility in tension with what we strive to build each day for every person in our community: a space that offers hope, healing, and joy to people the world over. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray reminds us that, for everyone, but most especially those of us who find ourselves on the margins and at the intersection of identities that are intentionally obscured, safety and dignity are the bare minimum." To read Angela's full Director's Note, visit the link in our bio.

Roots and Soul: A Journey through Pauli Murray's Durham is a 90-minute, 1-square-mile tour around the historic West End Neighborhood of Durham. Tour goers will visit 5 stops and be inspired by Pauli Murray's legacy and the unique contributions of the Fitzgerald family and other community members to the educational, economic, and cultural fabric of Durham. Whistle Stop Tours and Conductors share emancipation strategies from the voices of a Black Civil War soldier, the Freedman Schools movement, and from unsung hero Pauli Murray - a relentless pioneer and activist of Black civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights. 📅 Saturday, October 24 | 10 – 11:30 AM 🎟 Advanced Registration Required: Sign up through the link in our bio

Come visit us this October! 📢 Please note that we are CLOSED to the public on Saturday, October 17th for our Social Justice Teaching Fellows Institute. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate self guided tours of the indoor exhibits at this time.

Did you know that October is LGBTQ+ History Month? 🏳️‍🌈

"Freedom was not something you could hold in your hands and look at. It was something inside you which refused to die, a feeling, an urge, an impelling force: but it was other things too. Things you did not have and you had to have tools to get them. Few (Black) freedmen had tools in 1865; only the feeling, the urge." - Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

Can you name the location of these Fitzgerald bricks in Durham? 👀 These historic bricks are a powerful reminder of Richard B. Fitzgerald’s legacy, who was a successful African American entrepreneur and the great-uncle of civil rights icon Pauli Murray. Fitzgerald ran brickyards during Durham’s early development, producing the very bricks used to build foundational landmarks like St. Joseph’s AME Church (1891). His bricks still line the streets of Durham, Raleigh, and many other southern cities today. If you see bricks with this distinct pattern, you're likely walking on a piece of Fitzgerald’s lasting impact. Have you spotted any Fitzgerald bricks in your city? Share your finds with us! #FitzgeraldBricks #DurhamHistory #HistoricPreservation

Did you know that Durham celebrates Pride throughout June (National Pride Month) and throughout Durham Pride Week? 🏳️‍🌈 Join the Durham LGBTQ Center, Preservation Durham, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and the Museum of Durham History on the Queer History of Durham Tour: Downtown Edition on October 2nd or join in on any of the other Pride festivities throughout the city! As always, we'll be open on Saturday for self guided tours from 10 AM - 1 PM and host a guided tour at 1 PM over at Pauli Murray's childhood home if you'd like to celebrate with Pauli!

On September 25, 1871 Pauli Murray's aunt, godmother, and adoptive mother Pauline Fitzgerald Dame was born to Robert and Cornelia Fitzgerald. Aunt Pauline was a sturdy shelter for a young Pauli, creating space for independence, self-exploration, and creativity. A dedicated educator in Durham Public Schools, Pauline mentored and taught countless children in Durham's West End. Today, we celebrate Aunt Pauline's love and care that helped to raise the remarkable young Pauli Murray.

🐾 Leo gives the Queer History of Durham Tour: Downtown Edition a 10/10! This morning, staff from Preservation Durham and the Pauli Murray Center met up for a practice run of our walking tour ahead of next week’s Durham Pride festivities. Julia Lasure of Preservation Durham and Kristin Hauser of the Pauli Murray Center were joined by a very attentive special guest, Leo. 🐶 Next Friday, October 2, we’ll be joined by the Durham LGBTQ Center, Preservation Durham, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and the Museum of Durham History to explore some of the many sites connected to Durham’s LGBTQ+ history. 📍 Meet: Museum of Durham History, 500 W. Main Street 🚶 Distance: About 1 mile through downtown Durham 💸 Registration: Free, with an optional donation 🏛️ Bonus: Arrive early to visit the Museum’s current exhibit, To Love and Live Free: The 1986 Mayoral Recall Fight & the Origins of Durham Pride. Space is limited, so reserve your spot! RSVP at the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/downtownqueerhistory. Come celebrate Durham’s LGBTQ+ history and learn more about the people, places, and stories that have shaped our community, and the organizations working to preserve and share them today. 🏳️‍🌈

It's the first day of Fall! As the weather gets cooler, we've got some cozy Pauli Murray merch to keep you warm. Snag one of our hoodies for those cool evenings or cuddle up with a warm drink in the 'Movement mug'. All Pauli Shop purchases go directly to supporting our mission! Available online at paulimurraycenter.org/store with limited sizes available in-person at the Pauli Murray Center.

The Pauli Murray Center is partnering with John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute and the Duke Human Rights Center to welcome Dr. Simon Fisher to Durham. Focusing on primary documents in Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray "PM Medical" archival folder, Dr. Simon Fisher will explore how transgender historiography sheds new light on these documents within the context of several intersecting histories: African American history, history of medicine, feminist history, and queer and transgender history. He will discuss the narrative arc of the presence of transgender identity within Pauli Murray historical studies from the turn of the twenty-first century to the present, and highlight the current federal efforts to erase Murray’s Black, queer, and transgender activist histories from the nation’s public memory. Dr. Simon Fisher teaches United States history at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. His research on Pauli Murray has appeared in the Journal of African American History, Transgender Studies Quarterly, the SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies, and was featured on the podcast BackStory. 🔗 Join us in person OR virtually via our live webinar. Registration links in bio!

📣 Graduate students: We’re hiring! The Pauli Murray Center is seeking an Exhibit Development & Community Engagement Intern to support the development of our inaugural exhibit and engage community stakeholders around themes including religion, gender identity, mental health, and Black women’s social networks. 🎓 Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program in History, Museum Studies, Public History, or a related field. 📍 Hybrid | Durham, NC 🕐 20 hours/week | Feb. 1–Aug. 13, 2027 💰 $20/hour 📅 Apply by October 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Learn more and apply: paulimurraycenter.org/work-with-us

✨ Staff Spotlight ✨ This year, we’re lifting up the people behind the movement. Enjoy this short clip of our Managing Director, Calvetta Watlington, answering the question, "what does Pauli Murray mean to you?" Calvetta is a nonprofit leader, hailing from Alamance County with over 13 years of experience serving victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, creating safe healing spaces for individuals. Calvetta received her bachelor's in Social Work with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging has been the driving force behind her work. Calvetta's multicultural heritage, an amalgamation of Native American and African American identities, not only enriches her perspective but also accentuates her approach to leadership. As a proud citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, she intertwines traditional wisdom with modern strategies to lead with a unique perspective. Passionate about nurturing individuals on their unique journeys, Calvetta embodies the belief that when we discover and embrace our personal strengths, we possess the potential to uplift and transform entire communities.

Today we welcomed members of @ncblackalliance to the Pauli Murray Center, and they brought @cloudcartnc along with them to offer coffee and matcha to their participants! ☕✨ We love welcoming folks to this incredible space as we activate Pauli Murray's childhood home for community workshops, meetings, and events. To learn more about our space rental offerings, visit our website at paulimurraycenter.org/space-rentals

There are just a few days left to apply for the 2026 - 2027 cohort of the Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellowship! If you are a middle or high school educator working with students in Durham county, please consider applying. 🍎 Tag your favorite Durham educator in the comments while you enjoy these photos of some of our past SJTF cohorts!

CONSULTANT/FIRM WANTED The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is seeking a nonprofit strategic planning consultant or consulting firm to lead the development of a 4–5 year Long-Term Strategic Plan. We're particularly interested in firms with experience in nonprofit organizational growth, strategic planning, capital campaigns, endowment development, and/or historic sites, museums, cultural institutions, or social justice organizations. The plan will guide PMC's programmatic, organizational, and financial growth, including a planned Visitors Center capital campaign and establishment of an endowment. This work should remaining grounded in Pauli Murray's values and legacy. 📍 Experience working in the American South is especially relevant. 🔍 Learn more and view the full RFQ at paulimurraycenter.org/work-with-us

During Durham's Pride Week, the Durham LGBTQ Center, Preservation Durham, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and the Museum of Durham History are excited to host the Queer History of Durham Tour: Downtown Edition. Join our organizations as we share some of the many sites associated with the history of the LGBTQ+ community here in Durham. This is a walking tour, with about a mile worth of walking in Durham's downtown social district. The meeting spot for the tour is at the Museum of Durham History (500 W. Main Street), where attendees will be able to view their current exhibit, "To Love and Live Free: The 1986 Mayoral Recall Fight & the Origins of Durham Pride." Registration is free, with an optional donation. Join us in celebrating Durham's LGBTQ+ history and learn more about how each of our organizations work to protect, share, and preserve Durham's LGBTQ+ history. Space is limited! RSVP at the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/downtownqueerhistory

Did you know that in 1935, Pauli Murray took a stand for workers' rights by joining their first picket line? ✊🏾 After learning that a friend had been arrested for protesting the New York Amsterdam News’ refusal to recognize a new newspaper guild, Pauli participated in a peaceful demonstration. Many, including Pauli, were arrested that day, but a sympathetic judge dismissed the charges, letting the group return to the picket line. Pauli later described this experience as a crucial moment in a journey toward social activism, calling it “an important step in my gradual transformation” (Song in a Weary Throat, p. 129). 🌟 #PauliMurray #LaborRights #History #LaborDay

On Saturday, September 9th, 2024 nearly 500 people came out to celebrate the grand opening of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice! Since that day, we have had the honor of welcoming thousands of you to Murray's childhood home for tours, workshops, community events, and so much more. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us as we work to uplift Murray's life and legacy! 🎉 As we enter into our third year of being a visitor-ready Center, we're thankful for the continued support and encouragement of our community. If you're inspired to support us, here are some ways you can help: 🏠 Show up! If you haven't made it out to visit us over the last two years, now is a great time to schedule a visit. Your presence on our site helps us continue our work. 💸 Make a donation. We need your support to remain an open and thriving Pauli Murray Center. ✋ Volunteer. We are in great need of volunteers to partner with us on events, support open hours, and more. Volunteer at the link in our bio! 👕 Snag some merch! Every purchase supports the work we do to uplift Murray's life and legacy.

Applications are now open for the third cohort of the Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellowship! 🎉 After a pause in this program due to the loss of our federal IMLS grant, we are excited for the return of this important initiative now supported by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University. The Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellowship is an intensive, cohort-based professional learning experience for middle and high school educators. Fellows will study Pauli Murray’s life, ideas, and strategies for change while working directly with archival materials related to civil rights, education, gender equity, labor, legal history, activism, and social movements. Fellows will receive a $650 stipend, 6.0 continuing education units, up to $425 in classroom project support, and more! ❗Applications are due September 15th 🔗 To learn more, visit the link in our bio or paulimurraycenter.com/teachingfellows 🎉 Tag an educator who you think would be a great fit for this opportunity in the comments!!

While the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is a National Historic Site, we are much more than that! We collaborate with attorneys, artists, students, educators, faith communities, universities, and many others to uplift the extraordinary and expansive life of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray.

Come visit us! 🫶🏾 ❗ IMPORTANT: Please note that we are closing early on Saturday September 19th for a private event! The Center will close at 12:30 PM on that Saturday and there will be NO 1 PM public guided tour.

We're excited to have collaborated with L Jámal Walton on our newest Pauli Murray enamel pin design - only available in-store at the Pauli Murray Center! Jámal has lived in Durham, NC since 1993 where he continues to make comics both for himself and for others. He is a web programmer, graphic designer, illustrator, and artist. He has worked on all sizes of projects – from self-publishing Madness to gray scaling a few issues of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and working on three comic strips for Edgar Rice Burroughs. Most recently, Jámal has been working on a series of comic book stories with GoDurham. You can learn more about Jámal on his website - ljamal.com

Happy National Dog Day! 🐾 Check out this sweet photo of Pauli Murray with furry companion, Doc! In Song in a Weary Throat, Pauli writes about adopting Doc: "Smokey, my constant companion for thirteen years, had died of a heart ailment in January, and I had brought home from the dog pound a replacement I alternately called Doc and Black-and-White-Together-We-Shall-Overcome, in recognition of his spectacular black-and-white markings. Doc, a large floppy-eared mixed breed, with a clumsy gait and traces of Saint Bernard ancestry, seemed to realize I had saved his life and showed his gratitude by being a fiercely protective watchdog. I felt perfectly safe walking him on a leash through the streets of the lower East Side at night."

Have you seen this photo of a young Pauli Murray dressed in a sailor suit? Murray is pictured with Rosetta (Pauli's sister) posing for the camera in this youthful 1927 shot in Durham, NC. 📸 Schleshinger Library at Harvard

Join CANDOR, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and Whistle Stop Tours for a community conversation about accessibility and the Roots and Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray Tour. Whether you’ve taken the tour or wondered if it would be accessible to you, we invite you to share your experiences, access needs, and ideas to help shape a tour that welcomes a wider range of bodies, minds, and ways of engaging. These listening sessions will be offered virtually and in person at the Pauli Murray Center. RSVP at the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/accessiblehistory

What does Pauli Murray have to do with baseball? For more than 70 years, we've been without professional women's baseball in the U.S. This year 4 teams are breaking barriers by participating in the first WPBL season! Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray knew a little something about breaking barriers and making space for yourself against all odds. Comment if you think the 5th WPBL team should be 'the Firebrands' 🔥 (Eleanor Roosevelt's name for Pauli!) Tag your favorite WPBL team or player if you think they should take a field trip to the Pauli Murray Center in Durham 😇

Save the date for our annual Pauli Murray Pilgrimage - the accessible version! Each year, the Pauli Murray Center has offered a 4 mile walk through Durham where participants would visit sites of significance to Pauli Murray such as Pauli's childhood church, high school, and library. This year, we're offering an accessible version for those who aren't able to make the 4 mile trek. Instead of moving throughout Durham, participants will journey through the Lyon Park Community Center's auditorium where different sites of significance will be represented. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the location in relationship to Pauli Murray, be offered reflection questions, and talk with others about the experience. A map will be provided if participants would like to drive by the locations on their own. Registration information coming soon!

Do you get too many emails? Probably. But how many of them do you actually enjoy opening? Many of us get a lot of content in our inbox, but joy, hope, and community connection aren't always present. Like all our digital spaces, the Pauli Murray Center's monthly newsletter strives to be a source of connection and hope for our community. Subscribers will receive just one email at the start of each month, outlining upcoming programs, exciting announcements, and reflections from our staff and board members. To sign up, visit the link in our bio or visit tinyurl.com/pmcemails

“Seeing the relationship between my personal cause and the universal cause of freedom released me from a sense of isolation, helped me to rid myself of vestiges of shame over my racial history, and gave me an unequivocal understanding that equality of treatment was my birthright and not something to be earned. I would be no less afraid to challenge the system of racial segregation, but the heightened significance of my cause would impel me to act in spite of my fears.” - Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray reflects on a Monday afternoon stroll down Lenox Avenue in Harlem, following the riot the night before, writing that "in my anguish over what I had seen in Harlem, I realized that I felt the same intensely violent urge to strike back against the accumulated hurts, insults, and humiliations as did the rioters (one of my cousins among them) who had reduced the area to smoking rubble. My despair was expressed in a poem called, 'Harlem Riot, 1934.' For the rest of August I wrote as one possessed, pouring all my pain and bitterness into Dark Testament." - Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Song in a Weary Throat Chapter 18.

Things we think are kinda chic! ✨ 🔗 For more information about Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, finding a time to visit us, volunteering, and more see the link in our bio.

SAVE THE DATE! The Pauli Murray Center is partnering with John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute and the Duke Human Rights Center to welcome Dr. Simon Fisher to Durham. Focusing on primary documents in Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray "PM Medical" archival folder, Dr. Simon Fisher will explore how transgender historiography sheds new light on these documents within the context of several intersecting histories: African American history, history of medicine, feminist history, and queer and transgender history. He will discuss the narrative arc of the presence of transgender identity within Pauli Murray historical studies from the turn of the twenty-first century to the present, and highlight the current federal efforts to erase Murray’s Black, queer, and transgender activist histories from the nation’s public memory. Dr. Simon Fisher teaches United States history at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. His research on Pauli Murray has appeared in the Journal of African American History, Transgender Studies Quarterly, the SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies, and was featured on the podcast BackStory. 🔗 Space is limited! RSVP at the link in our bio.

The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice exists as a result of the collective efforts of our community and their enduring love for Rev. Dr. Murray. We continue to focus on the interdependent connection between the Center and our community while celebrating how the community informed and supported Murray's advocacy work. THANK YOU to all who donated in support of our midyear campaign! Because of your support, we will be able to continue uplifting Murray's life and legacy.

We’re excited to welcome two new Program Associates to the Pauli Murray Center team! 🎉 Please join us in welcoming Ilana and Lourdes, who will be supporting our weekend open hours beginning this weekend. Stop by the Center to say hello, ask a question, explore the house, or join one of their guided tours! We’re so glad to have them on the team and can’t wait for you to meet them. 💜 📍 Come visit us this weekend!

Have you seen this photo of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray helping to change a tire? The photo is included in Murray's scrapbook at Schelshinger Library at Harvard. Photo Caption: Pauli taking off the spare, while hitchhiker No. 32 changes the wheel.

Why did Pauli Murray become a priest? It's one of the questions we hear most often from visitors exploring Pauli Murray's childhood home. We know Murray as a writer, activist, and attorney, but Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was also a priest (and later a saint!) in the Episcopal tradition. For Pauli, the priesthood wasn't a departure from a lifetime of justice work. It was a continuation of it. Murray reflects in a sermon that “in my earliest youth I sought to work out intolerable frustrations through poetry. As I became more deeply involved in the civil rights movement in the 1940s, I turned to the law as a means of working within the system for social change. In time, as the world crisis has deepened, I began to realize that the law by itself is inadequate to cope with the fundamental moral and ethical issues of our time, and this led me to theology.”

We're excited to welcome Majesty Royale-Jackson as our new Executive Assistant here at the Pauli Murray Center! Majesty is a Durham-based multidisciplinary artist, producer, and arts administrator whose work bridges performance, public history, and community engagement. They bring experience in project coordination, communications, event production, and organizational support to their role as Executive Assistant at the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice. Majesty holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has worked across nonprofit arts, higher education, and independent cultural spaces. Their creative practice explores Black, queer, and Indigenous histories through movement, sound, and digital media. They have presented work at venues including New York Live Arts, The Painted Bride Arts Center, and Hayit Heritage Center. In their free time, Majesty enjoys perusing digital archives at public libraries, writing about Black American sonic traditions, and singing to their cat, Wakanda Psyches.

Did you catch our Executive Director, Angela Thorpe Mason, on MSNBC last night? 🎉 Angela joined Rev. Al Sharpton on PoliticsNation to talk about the Pauli Murray Center's recent $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which will help us develop a strategic plan for the Center's future, and why investing in Black cultural spaces is so important. A quick note: if you notice the on-screen graphic that reads "Federal Grant Cancelled for Pauli Murray Center," it's referring to the IMLS federal grant we lost in 2025 (not the National Trust grant discussed in the interview). We're deeply grateful for partners like the National Trust and for everyone who believes in preserving Pauli Murray's legacy. #PauliMurray #HistoricPreservation #BlackHistory #LGBTQHistory #NationalTrust #PoliticsNation #MSNBC

“In such periods marked by deep and pervasive national crisis, God has called forth prophets who will not be silenced or co-opted.” —Pauli Murray, “The Sermon on the Ordination of Women” 📸 Artwork by @gemynii

We’re proud to announce that we have received $50,000 from the @SavingPlaces African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund! This funding, supported by a generous gift from @MellonFoundation, will allow us to envision the future work of the Pauli Murray Center through a strategic planning process. The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is one of 27 sites to receive a total of $3 million in grant funding to advance ongoing preservation activities for historic sites, buildings, and landscapes that represent Black cultural heritage. With more than $200 million raised, the Action Fund is the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places. To learn more about this program and this year’s grant recipients, visit https://savingplaces.org/stories/actionfund2026

Have you seen this incredible bust of Pauli Murray, sculpted by artist Maysie Stone in 1933 title 'the Girl of a Thousand Faces'? Stone was looking for models to hone her craft and Pauli volunteered to help a friend. Murray reflects that, "Since I would be graduating soon and my days would be free, I readily consented. Maysie seemed amused at my brash naïveté when I added that I knew all artists were temperamental but was prepared to put up with it. It turned out to be the reverse, and Maysie had to exercise great patience with me, for I was a fidgety model." 📸 Photo Credit: Shleshinger Library at Harvard

Have you had the opportunity to explore Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray's childhood home? Whether you're a Durham local or following us from across the country, there are many ways to explore this incredible space. 🌐 Virtual Tours: explore this free, interactive guided tour through the Fitzgerald family home for anywhere in the world 🌳 Outdoor Exhibits: available for free browsing during daylight hours 🏠 Self Guided and Guided Tours: want to take a peak inside? Visit us on a Wednesday or Saturday to explore our Inaugural exhibits, focusing on the themes of identity, activism, and love. 📅 Private Group Tour: planning to attend with your class, church group, or organization? Book a private group tour and have the space to yourself! Private tours are available to groups of at least 15 people with 2 weeks advanced notice.

What does Pauli Murray’s legacy have to teach us about leadership, equity, and collaboration? Through this interactive lecture designed for the workplace, Angela Thorpe Mason explores what Pauli Murray might have to teach us about leadership, connection, and workplace culture. To invite Angela to speak with your team for a lunch and learn, ERG chat, presentation, or fireside chat, visit our website at paulimurraycenter.com/speaking-requests

🎥 Turns out even the local wildlife wanted to be part of our Midyear Campaign.. stay until the end to see our surprise guest in action! 🐝😅 We're in the final two weeks of our Midyear Campaign, and we're working to raise our remaining $10,000. Every gift helps us continue opening our doors to the community each week. From students, attorneys, faith communities, LGBTQIA+ community members, and visitors from around the world, the Pauli Murray Center is a place for learning, reflection, and building a more just future together. If you believe in preserving Pauli Murray's legacy and creating spaces for courageous conversations, we'd be so grateful for your support. Thank you for helping us reach our goal, and don't forget to stick around for our unexpected wildlife cameo! 🐝💛

Collective

Collections

Account

Programs

Programs