Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Pauli Murray
The Legacy Walk
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, December 7, 2021
1. Pauli Murray Marker
Inscription.
Pauli Murray. .
Pauli Murray Non-binary African American Legal Scholar (1910-1985). Anna Pauline Murray began to grapple with sexual orientation and gender identity while attending Hunter College in New York City. Murray adopted the gender-neutral first name "Pauli as a way to reject both male and female identity. This subtle change had to suffice because gender-neutral pronouns like "they and "them to identify as "non-binary" were not an option in 1933. After being rejected by the University of North Carolina for being black, Murray chose to pursue a law degree from Howard University graduating top of the class. Though this achievement automatically entitled enrollment in Harvard law school, Murray was again rejected - this time for being female. Having already co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942 - a highly influential civil rights organization - Harvard's refusal compounded Murray's anger over baseless disenfranchisement. Murray then received a masters in law - with a concentration on equal rights for women from the University of California, Berkeley. Murray described these race-and gender-based discriminatory barriers as "Jane Crow". Motivated by personal experiences, Murray wrote several highly influential scholarly treatises on the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Published collectively in 1951 as States Laws on Race and Color, this towering work was dubbed by Thurgood Marshall as"the bible for civil rights lawyers." Murray co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and served on the board of the ACLU. Murray's writings were invoked in nearly every major Supreme Court case to challenge the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. From Brown v. Board of Education's integration of schools in 1954; to Ruth Bader Ginsberg's triumph in Reed v. Reed's prohibition of sex discrimination in 1971; to Obergefell v. Hodges legalization of same sex marriage in 2015; to Bostock v. Clayton's protections of LGBTQ employees in 2020 all can be traced back in some way to Pauli Murray. After spending decades reshaping the US legal landscape for all minorities, Murray retired to study divinity the Episcopal Church celebrated its ordination of Murray as its "first female African American priest in 1977. After serving with distinction, Pauli Murray passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 1, 1985 at age 74 a quiet ending for the person whose work changed everything.
Pauli Murray
Non-binary African American Legal Scholar
(1910-1985)
Anna Pauline Murray began to grapple with sexual orientation and gender identity while attending Hunter College in New York City. Murray adopted the gender-neutral first name "Pauli as a way to reject both male and female identity. This subtle change had to suffice because gender-neutral pronouns like "they and "them to identify as "non-binary" were not an option in 1933. After being rejected by the University of North Carolina for being black, Murray chose to pursue a law degree from Howard University graduating top of the class. Though this achievement automatically entitled enrollment in Harvard law school, Murray was again rejected - this time for being female. Having already co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942 - a highly influential civil rights organization - Harvard's refusal compounded Murray's anger over baseless disenfranchisement. Murray then received a masters in law - with a concentration on equal rights for women from the University of California, Berkeley. Murray described these race-and gender-based discriminatory
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barriers as "Jane Crow". Motivated by personal experiences, Murray wrote several highly influential scholarly treatises on the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Published collectively in 1951 as States Laws on Race and Color, this towering work was dubbed by Thurgood Marshall as"the bible for civil rights lawyers." Murray co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and served on the board of the ACLU. Murray's writings were invoked in nearly every major Supreme Court case to challenge the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. From Brown v. Board of Education's integration of schools in 1954; to Ruth Bader Ginsberg's triumph in Reed v. Reed's prohibition of sex discrimination in 1971; to Obergefell v. Hodges legalization of same sex marriage in 2015; to Bostock v. Clayton's protections of LGBTQ employees in 2020 all can be traced back in some way to Pauli Murray. After spending decades reshaping the US legal landscape for all minorities, Murray retired to study divinity the Episcopal Church celebrated its ordination of Murray as its "first female African American priest in 1977. After serving with distinction,
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, December 7, 2021
2. Pauli Murray Marker - wide view
The Pauli Murray marker is visible here mounted to a rainbow pylon that it shares with the marker for Matthew Shepard. Prior to their retirement in October 2021, this pylon displayed the markers for Dr. Margaret Chung and Babe Didriksen.
Pauli Murray passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 1, 1985 at age 74 a quiet ending for the person whose work changed everything.
Erected 2021 by The Legacy Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Women. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1985.
Location. 41° 56.651′ N, 87° 38.97′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. It is on North Halsted Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3418 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
3. Marker inset: Pauli Murray
The source image for this is from a 1946 New York World-Telegram & Sun photograph.
Other markers no longer nearby. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. This marker was dedicated in October 2021 and was installed in place of the marker for Dr. Margaret Chung, which was retired.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 349 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on September 20, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1. submitted on December 18, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2, 3. submitted on December 19, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
