A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the life and memory of anna pauline "pauli" murray, a distinguished civil rights leader, Writer, lawyer, feminist, and former north carolinian.

Whereas, Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray, the granddaughter of a slave and the great‑granddaughter of a slave owner, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but later moved to Durham, North Carolina, at an early age to live with relatives after the death of her parents, William and Agnes Murray; and
Whereas, in 1926 Pauli Murray graduated in the top of her class at Hillside High School in Durham and in 1933 graduated with honors from Hunter College in New York, where she was one of four African‑Americans in a class of more than 200 women; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray earned a law degree from Howard University in 1944, a masters degree in law from Boalt Law School at the University of California at Berkeley in 1945, and a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Yale University in 1965, making her the first African‑American to achieve this honor; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray held a number of positions throughout her career, including serving as a teacher in New York City, a deputy attorney general of California, a professor at Brandeis University, and a civil rights lawyer; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray was also an author and poet, publishing several books and articles, including "Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family" and "States' Laws on Race and Color"; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray became a civil rights leader and feminist after a number of life experiences, including being denied admission to law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1938 because of her race and to graduate school at Harvard University in 1944 because of her gender; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray participated in various civil rights demonstrations and served on President John F. Kennedy's Commission on the Status of Women Committee on Civil and Political Rights in the early 1960s; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray help found the National Organization for Women (NOW) in the early 1970s; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray became the first African‑American woman in the United States to become an Episcopal priest after obtaining a Master in Divinity from the General Theological Seminary in 1976 and performed her first Holy Eucharist at the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill in 1977; and
Whereas, the Orange County Human Relations Commission established the Pauli Murray Award in her honor in 1990; and
Whereas, Pauli Murray died on July 1, 1985, after leading a very distinguished life; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the life and memory of Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray for her accomplishments and her contributions to civil rights, the law, and the arts.
SECTION 2.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray.
SECTION 3.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 27th day of February, 2007.

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		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

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		 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives