Member-only story

Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt: A Legacy of Social Justice

Galen Powell

·11k Followers· Follow

Published in The Firebrand And The First Lady: Portrait Of A Friendship: Pauli Murray Eleanor Roosevelt And The Struggle For Social Justice

4 min read · 1 week before

395 View Claps

62 Respond

Save

Listen

Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt were two of the most influential social justice activists of the 20th century. Their work on behalf of civil rights, women's rights, and economic justice left a lasting impact on American society.

The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice

by Patricia Bell-Scott

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	56560 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	472 pages

Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1910. She was the daughter of a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher. Murray was a brilliant student, and she graduated from Hunter College in 1933 with a degree in political science. After graduating from college, Murray worked as a social worker in New York City. She also became involved in the civil rights movement, and she participated in the March on Washington in 1941.

In 1944, Murray enrolled at Howard University Law School. She was the first African American woman to graduate from the law school, and she went on to become a successful lawyer. Murray argued several cases before the Supreme Court, and she helped to write the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954),which outlawed segregation in public schools.

Murray was also a writer, and she published several books and articles on civil rights and women's rights. She was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the two women worked together on many social justice issues.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City in 1884. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and she married Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1905. Eleanor Roosevelt was a tireless advocate for social justice, and she served as a delegate to the United Nations for many years.

Eleanor Roosevelt was particularly interested in the rights of women and children. She helped to found the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and she served as the first chairman of the commission. Roosevelt also worked to promote economic justice, and she was a strong supporter of the New Deal.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a close friend of Pauli Murray, and the two women worked together on many social justice issues. They were both committed to fighting for a more just and equitable society.

Legacy of Social Justice

Murray and Roosevelt were both pioneers in their fields. Murray was the first African American woman to graduate from Howard University Law School, and she argued several cases before the Supreme Court. Roosevelt was the first woman to serve as a delegate to the United Nations, and she helped to found the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Murray and Roosevelt were both committed to fighting for a more just and equitable society. They believed that everyone deserved to be treated with dignity and respect, and they worked tirelessly to make that belief a reality.

The legacy of Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt continues to inspire social justice activists today. Their work reminds us that it is possible to make a difference in the world, and that we must never give up fighting for what we believe in.

The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice

by Patricia Bell-Scott

4.4 out of 5