PAULI MURRAY

Born in 1910, Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray was a poet, a lawyer, an activist, a priest, and so much more that is deserving of praise, remembrance, and long-overdue celebration.

The story begins with the death of her mother and a 3-year-old Murray finding a home with her aunt and namesake Pauline in Jim Crow–afflicted Durham, North Carolina. Collaborators Catasús Jennings and Stevens-Holsey, Murray’s niece, provide a thorough account of their subject’s life, from her first exposure to systemic injustice through to her steadfast persistence in fighting the racial and gender inequities she dubbed Jane Crow. Unfortunately, the work uses stilted verse stanzas organized into less-than-effective sections, drawing for readers an awkward contrast to Murray’s own brilliant poetry, which is quoted here. The writing presents factual details without much consideration of poetic language or rhythm, and certain segments feel like historical discursions from the meaningful focus on Murray’s life. Nonetheless, the inclusion of too-often-unrecognized details of Murray’s accomplishments in education, law, and activism, combined with the harsh sociopolitical context she emerged from, make for an undeniably potent story. Murray spent the last decade of her life as an Episcopal priest, which the authors curiously mention only briefly. Ultimately, this work presents thoughtful components of a portrait of this queer, Black, heroic figure.

An undeniably worthy subject deserving of a stronger biography.