“Whatever future ministry I might have as a priest, it was given to me that day to be a symbol of healing. All the strands of my life had come together. Descendant of slave and of slave owner, I had already been called poet, lawyer, teacher, and friend." Pauli Murray, a Baltimore-born (Durham, North Carolina reared) lawyer, possessed an enviable measure of spiritual fortitude that upheld her activism. In 1973, at 62, Murray entered the General Theological Seminary to study for Holy Orders, and in 1977 was ordained as the first Black woman priest in the Episcopal church. Murray’s ordination was made all the more historic as it took place in the same church where her enslaved grandmother, Cornelia, was baptized in 1854. The Bible that Murray used for scriptural reading during her first eucharist belonged to her grandmother, Cornelia, while the lectern used to hold it, was dedicated to the memory of the woman who owned Cornelia, Mary Ruffin Smith. Learn more: https://s.si.edu/4knM1BI #APeoplesJourney 📸 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Milton Williams Archives, © Milton Williams.
God makes no mistakes.
Thanks for sharing, I reposted this to my Facebook page. Women, especially women of color have suffered and accomplished great things throughout generations. We need to know our American history and celebrate the people who made progress inspite of the oppression they suffered from less than human individuals. Let the truth be known. To God be the Glory. God bless this museum for all you keep and have to share with the world. I’m glad I was a founding member and watched as the museum was built. I haven’t been back East yet to visit it myself. When I go, I’ve already asked my family to have a family reunion there so we can all be there at the same time. I’m a little nervous about flying now because all the plane accidents. God willing I’ll get there this year. I’m Latina and married a Black man 20 years my senior. He’s in Glory now but his family is my family. Hope to see you all this year. I love the online store too. Thank you for what you are doing. Blessings, Dr. Ruth Banda-Ralph
Thanks for sharing. TonyJ
Wow.
Author specializing in legal analysis and writing compelling narratives
1wAnna Pauline "Pauli" Murray was a legal scholar, author, activist, and Episcopal priest whose work influenced the civil rights movement and expanded legal protection for gender equality.