In this episode, we discuss the life and legacy of Pauli Murray. A poet, activist, lawyer, professor, and priest, Murray was a prolific and passionate writer. She exchanged letters with Eleanor Roosevelt and inspired the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Murray’s 1950 legal book States’ Laws on Race and Color became known as “the Bible for civil rights lawyers.” And her writing was cited in the Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case.
As a poet and memoirist, Murray wrote eloquently about Black life in America. Her poem “Dark Testament” was the guiding force behind the American Writers Museum’s past exhibit, Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice.
Murray is also featured in our special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, currently on display. This exhibit and programming series explores the profound ways writing reflects and influences our understanding of religion. Murray’s lifelong spirituality informed her sense of justice, and in 1977 she became the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest.
For this episode, we are joined by two women who knew Murray personally. Rosita Stevens-Holsey is the president of Preserving Pauli Murray, LLC and Pauli’s niece. Lucille Ward Walker is the Executive Director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area. Lucille’s parents, who were also involved in the church and civil rights movement, were friends and colleagues of Pauli. You can learn more about our guests and their work below.
Rosita and Lucille are interviewed by Nate King, Content & Exhibits Manager at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place February 23, 2026 and was recorded over Zoom.
About our guests:
ROSITA STEVENS-HOLSEY, niece of Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray and matriarch of the Murray/Fitzgerald family, is a dynamic educator, author, activist, community engager and budding family historian focused on sharing stories of historical and pioneering voices for children and adults to be inspired by. Rosita Stevens-Holsey is president of Preserving Pauli Murray, LLC, which she founded to uplift the legacy of her aunt, The Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray. Check out Rosita’s recent writing about the importance of Women’s History Month here, posted by the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.
Prior to moving back home to Washington, D.C., Rosita was a Systems Engineer for IBM; a Regional Coordinator of Minority & Multicultural Studies for the Department of Defense Overseas School System; founder of a management consulting/executive search firm in Atlanta, GA; and Director of the Regional Minority Purchasing Council in partnership with the Atlanta and Savannah Chambers of Commerce.
Before returning to teaching in 2008, Ms. Stevens-Holsey was an Executive Director of the National Dental Association followed by serving as an Advocate, Program Coordinator, and Director of a non-profit organization which provided services for persons with disabilities. She holds a B.S. in Science and Education from State University of New York and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Services from Boston University.
Ms. Stevens-Holsey is the co-author of the award winning biography Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist & Civil Rights Activist. Pauli Murray was a thorn in the side of the powerful in America demanding justice and equal treatment for all. Murray conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education; and in 1964, the arguments that won women equality in the workplace. Throughout her life, Murray fought for the oppressed, not only through changing laws, but by using her powerful prose to influence those who could affect change. Her achievements as a poet, writer, activist, attorney, labor organizer, scholar, and an Episcopal priest are now being uncovered, rendering her life and legacy stronger and more relevant.
Ms. Stevens-Holsey is a contributor, supporter and executive board member of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice (PMC) in Durham and Chair of PMC’s Partnerships & Development Committee. Rosita is Vice President of the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA). She also served as Vice President of the Pauli Murray Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) in Maryland. She is a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW), NAACP, Association of African American Museums (AAAM) and the Change the Names Project. Her values aligned with her aunt’s work in her
union affiliation. Rosita was a building representative and facility advisory committee co-chair for PGCEA and an officer and assistant chief negotiator for the OEA/NEA. She has followed her Aunt Pauli’s lead in advocating for human rights issues and fighting discrimination against women, minorities, and those in need. Part of her present work is to support and enhance organizations’ efforts to promote her aunt’s legacy through speaking and personal appearances.
To learn more about Ms. Rosita Stevens-Holsey and her aunt, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, please visit her Instagram, website, and YouTube channel. If you would like to get in touch with Rosita, please email her at preservingpaulimurray@gmail.com. Learn more about the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray quarter released from the U.S. Mint here.
LUCILLE W. WALKER led the initiative to designate Southern Maryland as one of nation’s newest National Heritage Areas. Legislation authorizing the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area was passed by the U.S. Congress in December of 2022 and signed into law by President Biden in January of 2023. The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area was officially launched on May 25, 2023, with a ceremonial welcome and opening remarks from the Piscataway Conoy Tribal Chair and the Chief of the Piscataway Indian Nation, and with Governor Moore as keynote speaker with Lt. Governor Aruna Miller and U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Interior Shannon Estenov.
As executive director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area, Ms. Walker is known for her strategic and entrepreneurial management resulting in economic strength and mission fulfillment. Ms. Walker has a noted track record for building partnerships, legislative acumen, skilled public speaking, and motivational leadership.
Ms. Walker received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, followed by studies at Oxford University. She received her master’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis. Recent awards include: Preservation Service Award from the Historic Preservation Commission (2024), Best of Maryland Leadership Award from Preservation Maryland (2023), and Visionary Impact Award from the Maryland Tourism Council (2022).