Pauli Murray

Pauli Murray is slowly but surely becoming one of my Black Feminist inspirations and so it was important I included them in this selection. Although the venacular did not exist during their time, throughout their life, Pauli would refer to themselvs in he/him and them/they pronouns. This internal duality was a constant source of frustration for Pauli, and despite all of this discomfort they were able to contribute greatly to the fight for human rights.

Author Brittney Cooper notes that for Murray, and many other queer Black women, sexuality could not be separated from the political ideas and theories she proposed to advance the goals of the Black feminist movement and beyond. (Cooper, 2017)