The Envoy

The U.S. Mint is making “cents” of the ongoing legacies of Hunter College alumni by honoring one of its own with an emblematic coin.

Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, a graduate from the Hunter class of 1933, is one of five people who will be minted on a U.S. quarter in 2024 as part of the American Women Quarters Program. Murray identified as a gender nonconforming person, and may be the first to appear on a U.S. quarter who identified as such, according to the Pauli Murray Center.  

“We are delighted that Pauli Murray will be recognized in such an indelible way for being an unrelenting advocate and showing the foresight to anticipate some of the most significant issues of our time,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez in a press release published on International Women’s Day.

In their lifetime, Pauli Murray advocated for desegregation and positive race relations. They championed for equal employment opportunity for women and people of color as well as the removal of sex and racial discrimination in jury selection.

A Baltimore native, Murray grew up in a family stricken with heartache, poverty and discrimination. Despite losing their mother at the age of four and moving away to live with relatives while their father struggled with mental health issues, they often found solace in their education.

Murray graduated high school with honors before moving to New York City. Graduating with honors allowed them to attend Hunter College, where they studied and received their bachelor’s degree in English Literature. 

Though excelling in their studies, Murray faced prejudice throughout their academic career. Columbia University rejected their college application because the school did not admit women at the time, while the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill barred their enrollment in its graduate school due to their race.

Murray’s interests in civil rights and equality were ultimately influenced by the racial and gender discrimination they experienced from a young age.

Upon graduating from Hunter, Murray worked with the Workers Defense League to protect the labor rights of everyday workers. In 1940, they joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation, where they advocated for the desegregation of public transportation, even risking their own arrest that same year after refusing to move to the back of a bus in Virginia.

Murray eventually went on to attend Howard Law School, and during their time there published several pivotal social justice works, including Common Sense’s “Negroes Are Fed Up” and the poem “Dark Testament.” They also co-authored the paper, “Jane Crow and the Law,” to parallel the prejudice of Jim Crow laws with sexual discrimination.

Pauli Murray once said, “When my brothers try to draw a circle to exclude me, I shall draw a larger circle to include them. Where they speak out for the privileges of a puny group, I shall shout for the rights of all mankind.” 

One of Murray’s accomplishments also includes co-founding the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966. Rooted in feminist grassroots activism, NOW became a space to address and champion for women’s rights.

Their activism and advocacy for racial and gender equality often intersected with issues concerning the LGBTQ+ community. It also acquainted them with some of the time’s biggest political figures, including former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former President John F. Kennedy. 

“My Name is Pauli Murray” is an Amazon original documentary recently produced by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. The film looks back on Murray’s activism, legacy and impact on American society.

“There’s the one side of the story that’s just pure pain, but as so many things in Pauli’s story, there’s also a flip side of warmth and joy,” Cohen said during a film screening and moderated discussion at Hunter’s Roosevelt House.

The American Women Quarters Program celebrates the contributions and legacies of women in the United States. Since 2022, the four-year program has honored generations of women ranging in diverse backgrounds and careers.

Alongside Murray, next year’s cohort will also include the ranks of former U.S. congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink, Civil War-era surgeon Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Native American activist and author Zitkala-Ša and Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz.

“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,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. 

“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.”