316: Fighting Jane Crow: The Multifaceted Life and Legacy of Pauli Murray

BackStory

History, Education

4.7 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2020

⏱️ 76 minutes

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Summary

Pauli Murray might be one of the most influential but little-known figures in modern American history. Born in 1910 in Baltimore, Murray, who was a prominent lawyer and activist, went on to shape American law, society and culture throughout much of the 20th century. Publicly, Murray is remembered for contributions to feminist legal thought and in particular, the concept of “Jane Crow,” which recognized how black women struggle with racism and sexism. Meanwhile, in private, Pauli Murray’s fluid gender and sexual identity clashed with the era’s rigid categories.

All of this made Pauli Murray a steadfast proponent of equality and a committed fighter against injustice of all kinds. It even led Murray to the ordained ministry, where the fight for a reconciled humanity could be waged in the spiritual realm. So for that reason -- and many more -- this week on BackStory, Ed and Joanne explore the life and legacy of Pauli Murray.

*Note: Pauli Murray often self-identified as a woman and used “she” and “her” pronouns. You can see this in public writings, like Murray’s autobiography. But, in private, Murray grappled with a nuanced gender identity. This identity was often at odds with the strict gender and sexual constructs of the 20th century, and it was often in flux. For that reason, the question of pronouns is a complicated one in the case of Pauli Murray. So after careful consideration, we decided to opt out of using any pronouns when referring to Pauli Murray throughout the episode. Instead, you’ll hear us say “Pauli Murray,” “Murray” or sometimes just “Pauli.” But you’ll hear our guests alternate between different pronouns. We’ve let each guest decide for themselves which pronoun they think best fits when talking about Pauli.

Transcript

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0:30.5	Major funding for Backstories provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment
0:34.4	for the Humanities and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.
0:41.3	From Virginia Humanities, this is Backstory.
0:49.6	Welcome to Backstory, the show that looks at the history behind the headlines.
0:53.8	I'm Joanne Freeman.
0:55.0	And I'm Ed Ayers.
0:56.9	If you're new to the podcast each week, along with our colleagues Nathan Connelly and
1:00.9	Brian Ballot, we explore a different aspect of American history.
1:14.3	In March of 1940, 29-year-old Pauli Murray got on a Greyhound bus with a friend in Washington,
1:20.0	DC.
1:21.3	Murray was headed south to Durham, North Carolina, Murray's hometown to spend time with relatives
1:27.5	for the Easter holiday.
1:29.6	The bus we started out was a long, very nice bus, plenty of room.
1:37.6	And we probably said somewhat to the rear of the center of the bus, having plenty of
	...

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