Durham, NC - Several Duke faculty members will help celebrate the life and work of civil rights activist, lawyer and church leader Pauli Murray at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at the Durham County Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St..

A panel discussion of "Standing Tall in Proud Shoes: Pauli Murray's Life and Legacy" is co-presented with the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke in celebration of Women's History Month.

Pauli Murray (1910 -- 1985), who grew up in Durham, went on to become an American civil rights activist, feminist, lawyer, author, college professor and the first African-American woman to become an ordained Episcopal priest. The panel will be moderated by North Carolina Collection librarian Lynn Richardson and includes Anne Firor Scott, professor emerita, Duke University Department of History; Barbara Lau and Courtney Reid-Eaton, Duke Center for Documentary Studies; and Davison M. Douglas, professor at William and Mary School of Law.

Panelists will discuss Murray's complex family background, her childhood in Durham, her personal life and friends and, of course, her accomplishments as a civil rights and women's rights activist, lawyer, writer and minister.

"Murray is a fascinating and compelling figure," said Lynn Richardson. "She was at the forefront of the nation's civil rights and women's rights movements, which is interesting enough in its own right. When you also consider her Durham roots, black/white/slave/slave-owner heritage, complex personality and rich intellectual life, you've got a story that is irresistible."

An "On the Road with Charles Kuralt" film clip featuring Pauli Murray's first celebration of the Eucharist as an ordained priest, at the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill where her ancestors worshipped, will be shown. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share personal memories of Pauli Murray or talk about how she influenced their lives. For more information, call 560-0171 or visit www.durhamcountylibrary.org.