06/16/2026
Pauli Murray (1910 –1977) was a pioneering African American civil rights activist, legal scholar, poet, and author. She was a trailblazer in the fight for racial and gender equality, advocating for social justice and justice reform throughout her life. Murray was the first African American woman to earn a JD from Yale Law School and was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Her work and writings have had a lasting impact on civil rights, gender equality, and social justice.