Pauli Murray coined “Jane Crow” in the 1940s, developing intersectional legal frameworks that influenced Thurgood Marshall’s approach to Brown v. Board of Education.
Two decades later, Ruth Bader Ginsburg built her Supreme Court gender equality strategy directly on Murray’s constitutional theories about overlapping oppressions.
Though Murray never argued before the Supreme Court, their legal blueprint shaped many of the landmark civil rights and women’s rights victories of the past 70 years.
Note: Pauli Murray used she/her pronouns during their lifetime, but historical evidence suggests they experienced what we now understand as gender dysphoria. They/them pronouns better reflect Murray’s lived experience and self-understanding.
Theme: “Sacred Resistance”
Date Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2025