Dear Friends:
In the last few weeks I've returned to the Center after taking leave to have my first child. Early motherhood has been transformative. I have felt raw, tender, and more human than I have ever felt in my life. I also have a deep reverence for the human experience, and humanity, overall. In these ways, I also feel more connected to Pauli Murray. Like you and me, Pauli was "just" a human. Rev. Dr. Murray also cared for others so deeply that they committed their life to building a foundation for a nation in which every person simply belonged. This, too, is our work.
In an era where you may feel overwhelmed, defeated, or enraged, I'll offer you the following reminder. Pauli, too, lived in a time when American democracy hung in the balance; when racial terror violence was a threat to Black lives; when it was dangerous to exist as a member of the LGBTQ community; when women’s rights were under attack; when the world was inflamed with global conflict; when technology and the environment were rapidly transforming; when the political system failed to meet the needs of most. And still she persisted. For humanity.
Onward,
Angela Thorpe Mason
Executive Director
Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice