South Campus

Letter from Pauli Murray to Frank Porter Graham

Document Description: In this letter, the future human rights activist Pauli Murray, a descendant of both slaves and enslavers and part of a family with deep ties to North Carolina, wrote to UNC President Frank Porter Graham seeking admission to the University’s graduate school, which was still segregated at the time. Her application was ultimately rejected, but her attempt to enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill drew national attention. Murray challenged the idea that she could obtain a “separate but equal” graduate education at one of the state’s historically black colleges.

paulimurray-to-fpg_17jan39

 

Date: 1/17/1939

Creator: Pauli Murray

Document Type: Correspondence

Document Collection: Office of President of the University of North Carolina System: Frank Porter Graham Records #40007

Campus Space: South Campus

Citation: Letter from Pauli Murray to Frank Porter Graham, 17 January 1939 in Office of President of the University of North Carolina (System): Frank Porter Graham Records #40007, University Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.