Visiting the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice
Celebrating Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s legacy with a center for history, justice and inspiration in the heart of Durham’s historic West End neighborhood.
Tucked into Durham’s historic West End neighborhood, the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is more than a museum, it’s a movement. Drawing inspiration from the trailblazing activist, lawyer, attorney, poet, priest and icon, the Center honors Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s life and achievements while honoring their legacy by engaging, educating and inspiring community activists and organizers to continue their work. This isn’t the kind of place where you whisper and tiptoe past velvet ropes. This is where you show up, speak up and step into the legacy of one of America’s fiercest visionaries.
A Word From the Pauli Murray Center Executive Director
Hear from Pauli Murray Center Executive Director Angela Thorpe Mason on Pauli's legacy and the experience of visiting the Center.
Who Was Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray?
Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was a one-person revolution. Born in 1910 and raised in Durham from early childhood until teenagehood by family, Pauli grew up in the house that’s now the Center. These modest beginnings launched a life that reshaped America’s legal, gender and racial landscape.
A civil rights attorney, poet, priest, feminist icon and queer trailblazer, Murray was an icon whose thinking surpassed the norms of the time. Pauli challenged segregation in the 1940s, laid the legal groundwork that Thurgood Marshall used to win Brown v. Board of Education, worked closely with Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and co-founded the National Organization for Women. Murray became the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Truly, there are more achievements to Murray’s name than can be named here. Learn more about Pauli Murray's life and work on the Center’s website.
Murray's gender expression also represented thinking beyond the era. Self-described as a woman with a “he/she personality,” she sought gender-affirming care in various ways. For this reason, the Pauli Murray Center interchangeably uses she/her/hers, he/him/his and they/them/theirs pronouns.
Murray’s Durham childhood home—built in 1898 by Robert and Cornelia Fitzgerald—is now the headquarters of Murray's legacy. And it’s not just standing; it’s alive with purpose.
More Than a Home—A National Landmark
In 2015, this house was designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2016, it was deemed a National Historic Landmark. In 2024, the Center officially opened as a museum and community center.
Fewer than 3% of sites on the National Register highlight Black history. Even fewer center the lives of Black women, and fewer still uplift queer Black leaders. That makes the Pauli Murray Center not just meaningful—it’s essential.
When you visit, you're not just stepping into history. You’re walking into a living representation of justice, resilience and representation.
What is the Pauli Murray Center?
The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice is part historic site, part community hub with a mission "To activate history for social change." That means connecting Pauli’s legacy and work to the activists and community groups continuing social justice work today.
Yes, the Center displays relics from the past, but it is principally an interactive space. Areas like the Identity Room, the Activism Room and the Love & Joy Room include exhibits that explore identity, justice and belonging. You can write a haiku, leave a love note or reflect on how “one person plus one typewriter constitutes a movement.”
How to Visit
Location: 906 Carroll Street, Durham, NC 27701
Open: Select Wednesdays and Saturdays—check the website calendar for exact dates.
- Self-Guided Outdoor Exhibit (FREE): Always open during daylight. Walk the grounds and learn at your own pace.
- Indoor Self-Guided Tour ($10, or $2 with WIC/EBT): A powerful 30-minute experience inside the home.
- Guided Tour ($20, or $4 with WIC/EBT): Led by passionate staff who bring Pauli’s story to life.
- Free Community Days: Offered during special celebrations like Juneteenth and Pauli’s birthday.
- Whistle Stop Walking Tour: A deep dive into the West End’s rich history, offered a couple of times a year.
Accessibility and Atmosphere:
The house has been intentionally reimagined as a welcoming, flexible space designed for dialogue, art, movement work and healing. It’s ADA-accessible, LGBTQIA+ inclusive and intentionally welcoming to folks of all backgrounds and abilities. Find more about accessibility considerations at the Center on its website.
What to Expect from a Visit
- Come curious
- Hear Pauli’s voice through audio, quotes and personal letters.
- Engage with art, poetry and interactive exhibits.
- Connect to current justice work in Durham and beyond
- Reflect, create and be inspired.
Durham Carries Pauli’s Spirit Everywhere
Pauli’s energy isn’t confined to Carroll Street—it flows throughout Durham.
🎨 Murals Around the City
Thanks to the “Face Up: Telling Stories of Community Life” project, five massive murals of Pauli can be found across Durham. Painted with community input, they reflect her values—roots, identity, justice, joy—and turn ordinary walls into inspirational monuments.
Keep your eyes peeled at:
- 313 Foster Street
- 2520 Vesson Avenue
- 1101 West Chapel Hill Street
- 117 S. Buchanan Boulevard
Find more murals around Durham that celebrate Black history and culture.
On Your Change
In 2024, the U.S. Mint released a quarter with Pauli Murray’s face as part of the American Women Quarters Program. It’s not just currency—it’s recognition.
Meet the Neighborhood: Durham's Historic West End
West End is a historically Black neighborhood that’s been standing strong since the late 1800s. It was built by educators, laborers and community builders—many of them the same folks who raised Pauli.
The West End is walkable, colorful, and full of soul. Today, you’ll find:
- LGBTQIA-owned spots like Grub Durham
- Vintage shops and eateries
- Morehead Manor, a Black-owned Bed and Breakfast in a historic property.
The neighborhood still pulses with activism. Durham’s first civil rights sit-in happened just blocks away at the Royal Ice Cream parlor in 1957—three years before Greensboro.
Why This Place Matters
The Pauli Murray Center isn’t just about honoring history—it’s about picking up the torch. Whether you’re a student, traveler, organizer or someone who is curious about the difference one person can make—this place is for you.
It’s for the dreamers, the disruptors and the change-makers.
Plan your visit. Tell a friend.
