Sunday Forum with Rosita Stevens-Holsey
June 15, 2025
Join us for a special Sunday Forum with Rosita Stevens-Holsey, niece of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray!
A passionate advocate for preserving her aunt’s legacy, Rosita is the founder of Preserving Pauli Murray, LLC, and co-author of a groundbreaking 2022 biography of Pauli Murray. Come learn more about the extraordinary life and lasting impact of Pauli Murray – Durham native, legal trailblazer, Episcopal priest, and lifelong champion for justice.
Preserving Pauli Murray
Rosita Stevens-Holsey, niece of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, is a dynamic educator, author, activist, community engager and family historian focused on sharing stories of historical and pioneering voices for children and adults to be inspired by. She is president of Preserving Pauli Murray, LLC, which she founded to uplift the legacy of her aunt. She also co-authored the award-winning biography, “Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist & Civil Rights Activist.”
An ambassador for the Pauli Murray family, Rosita feels it is an honor to be part of enhancing and promoting her aunt’s legacy, and her responsibility as a family member to do so. Rosita lives outside of Washington, D.C.
Who was Pauli Murray?
The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was a twentieth-century human rights activist, legal scholar, author, labor organizer, poet, Episcopal priest, multiracial Black, LGBTQ+ Durhamite who lived one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century. Pauli was the first Black person to earn a JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree from Yale Law School, a founder of the National Organization for Women, and the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest.Â
A thorn in the side of white America demanding justice and equal treatment for all, Pauli’s work influenced the civil rights movement and expanded legal protection for gender equality. Pauli was a queer civil rights and women’s rights activist before any movement advocated for either – the brilliant mind that, in 1944, conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; and in 1964, the arguments that won women equality in the workplace.
Throughout their life, Pauli fought for the oppressed, not only through changing laws, but by using powerful prose to influence those who could affect change. Pauli lived by their convictions and challenged authority to demand fairness and justice regardless of the personal consequences. Without seeking acknowledgment, glory, or financial gain for what she did, Pauli fought in the trenches for many of the rights we take for granted. Their goal was human rights and the dignity of life for all.
Learn more about Pauli Murray at the Pauli Murray Center’s website.