Pauli Murray to be First Black Queer Person on U.S. Currency

Pauli Murray, a nonbinary Black activist, lawyer, priest, and poet, will be featured on a quarter in the next round of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program, making them the first Black queer person to appear on U.S. currency.

Their quarter will be issued in 2024, and others who will be featured in this round include Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress; Celia Cruz, the Cuban-American singer known as the Queen of Salsa; Zitkala-Ša, a writer, composer, educator, and activist for Native Americans’ rights; and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War–era surgeon, women’s rights advocate, and abolitionist.

“All of the women being honored have lived remarkable and multi-faceted lives, and have made a significant impact on our Nation in their own unique way,” Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson says in an official press statement. “The women pioneered change during their lifetimes, not yielding to the status quo imparted during their lives. By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins which are like small works of art in your pocket.”

Born on November 20, 1910 in Baltimore, Murray was assigned female at birth but always questioned their gender. It is believed that if the term was relevant then, they would have been nonbinary.

Murray grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and became a lawyer and activist against sexism and racism. They graduated at the top of their class from Howard University School of Law, and their book States’ Laws on Race and Color, published in 1951, was described by civil rights lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as ‘the Bible for civil rights litigators.’

In the 1950s, Murray joined the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton, and Garrison, where they met their longtime partner Irene Barlow, who was office manager there. In the 1960s, they served on the Committee on Civil and Political Rights as part of President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and continued to be active in the Black civil rights movement but objected to the fact that movement organizations were largely led by men while women did much of the work.

In 1966, Murray helped found the National Organization for Women (NOW), but according to the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, they later moved away from a leading role because they did not believe that NOW appropriately addressed the issues of Black and working-class women.

From 1968-1973, Murray taught an American studies program at Brandeis University, and in 1973, following Barlow’s death, they entered General Theological Seminary. In 1977, they were the first Black person perceived as a woman to become an Episcopal priest in the U.S.

Murray wrote several other books, including a poetry collection, an autobiography, and a volume on the government of Ghana. Their best-known book, Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family, chronicles the difficulties faced by her grandparents in Durham due to racism. It has remained in print since its initial publication in 1956.

On July 1, 1985, Murray died of pancreatic cancer.

David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, issued a statement praising the Mint’s honoring of Murray.

“The announcement by the U.S. Mint that it will include civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, the first Black queer person to be featured on U.S. currency, deserves celebration,” he says. “This moment is a reminder that wherever there is history, there is Black history, and that Black history has always included the contributions of Black queer, trans, and nonbinary/nonconforming members of our beautifully diverse community.”

“Commemorating the life and legacy of Murray, who was a groundbreaking leader of racial and gender equality and progenitor of effective civil rights tactics, and was also one of the first women, first gender nonbinary person, and the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest, is an important step toward recognizing the contributions that Black LGBTQ+/same-gender loving people have made to American history. Especially at a time when the evangelical right is using religion to separate, segregate, and inspire hate.

“We commend the U.S. Mint for honoring Pauli Murray, amongst a number of influential and groundbreaking women. The lives, contributions, and stories of Black trans, queer, and nonbinary/nonconforming people are fundamental to Black history and should continue to be told and celebrated.”

The life and significance of Murray was chronicled in the documentary film My Name Is Pauli Murray, released in 2021.