A giant in shaping legal equality for women and African Americans, Pauli Murray was an activist, attorney, priest, and poet. When her father's mental health declined after his wife's death, Pauli was separated from her siblings, and sent to live with her mother's extended family in Durham, North Carolina. Read about her struggles with racism, sexism, and homophobia... and how those experiences shaped her views on human rights and set her on a course that changed the lives of all Americans. America250 is a multi-year effort to commemorate the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the United States. The purpose of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, created by Congress, and the corresponding America250 Foundation, is to catalyze a more perfect union by designing and leading the most comprehensive and inclusive celebration in our country's history. America250 represents a coalition of public and private partners all working to create initiatives and programs that honor our first 250 years and inspire Americans to imagine our next 250.