My Name Is Pauli Murray, the documentary about the trailblazing Black nonbinary civil rights activist, lawyer, Episcopal priest, and poet, is now a winner of the Peabody Award.Bryan Stevenson, a public interest lawyer and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, announced the award Tuesday.“Everyone should know about Pauli Murray,” Stevenson said. “Dr.
Murray was a powerful force for change during the 20th century. Dr. Murray’s work confronted Jim Crow segregation, challenged the exclusion and suppression of women at a time when the barriers to opportunity and access to education were so rigid.
Pauli Murray found a way to create precedents, to push through these obstacles and barriers, in a way that inspired so many.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marian Wright Edelman, Thurgood Marshall were all influenced by the writings and work of Pauli Murray.”The documentary, from directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen, uses Murray’s own words extensively to show how she pushed for rights and opportunities for all.