P&P Live! & PMC: Rosita Stevens-Holsey & Terry C. Jennings | PAULI MURRAY

Join P&P and The Pauli Murray Center for a discussion of PAULI MURRAY with the authors in conversation with Melissa HarrisPerry. Click here to purchase PAULI MURRAY

Politics and Prose is delighted to partner with the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice for a program with authors Rosita Stevens-Holsey & Terry Catasús Jennings who will discuss their book Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist in conversation with professor and The Takeaway host, Melissa-Harris Perry.

Pauli Murray was a queer civil rights and women's rights activist before any movement advocated for either. In 1944, she conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In1964, she was pivotal in including "gender" as one of the protected categories in the 1964 Civil Rights Act thus guaranteeing women equal pay for equal work. In Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist, Rosita Stevens-Holsey and Terry Catasús Jennings tell her unique and often unheard story in verse. They discuss that throughout her life, Murray fought for the oppressed, not only through changing laws, but using her powerful prose to influence those who could affect change. Without seeking acknowledgment, glory, or financial gain for what she did, Pauli Murray fought in the trenches for many of the rights we now take for granted. Her goal was human rights and the dignity of life for all.

Rosita Stevens-Holsey is one of Pauli Murray's nieces, and an ambassador for the Pauli Murray family. She 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.

Terry Catasús Jennings is an essayist and humorist, and a children's writer. She has written science based narrative non-fiction and educational text. She is the author of the Definitely Dominguita chapter book series which debuted last year and which was named both a School Library Journal and Kirkus Best Books of 2021. Terry immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba at age twelve. She lives outside Washington, DC and is a member of the SCBWI, Las Musas Latinx Collective and the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC.

Melissa Harris-Perry is an American writer, professor, television and radio host, and political commentator with a focus on African-American politics. She is the host and managing editor at The Takeaway, a National Public Radio news program focusing on the American conversation.

The Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice lifts up the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, a twentieth-century human rights activist, legal scholar, feminist, author, poet, Episcopal priest, labor organizer, and multiracial Black, LGBTQ+ community member. Center programming in history, education, arts, and activism seeks to advance justice and equity.

Ages 10 and up

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Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online.