The U.S. Mint released the Pauli Murray (1910-1985) quarter in February, which includes Murray's likeness and the line, "Hope...a song in a weary throat." Lawyer, activist, and poet, and the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest, Murray used he/she/they pronouns. / Candace Sanders / Sojourners
Hope in Our Pockets
Hope in Our Pockets
Now on the back of quarters, Pauli Murray’s face will soon become more familiar to Americans.
I’M EXCITED THAT more people will come to know Pauli by holding this piece of currency in their hands. Many folks feel connected to Pauli through her faith leadership, her Blackness, their queer identity, or their southern identity. That quarter represents so many things but when you flip it over, there’s that guy on the other side: George Washington. It feels a little strange. It’s also connected to our capitalist system, which is a bit odd. I don’t want our ancestors to become deities because it flattens them. That is a piece of my struggle with this quarter. “St. Pauli” certainly is a saint, but I want Pauli to remain whole and human. I don’t want them to be deified or objectified.
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Angela M. Mason is executive director of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice in Durham, N.C.
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