The History of Murray-Massenburg Elementary School

On May 5, 2023, the Durham Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to name the newest DPS elementary school under construction Murray-Massenburg Elementary School after two female trailblazers: attorney and human rights activist Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray and the first African American female principal in the Durham City School System, Betty Doretha Massenburg.

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray

Dr. Murray, the first Black person to earn a juris doctorate from Yale Law School, was a legal scholar, author, feminist, poet, Episcopal priest, labor organizer, and multiracial Black, LBGBTQ+ community member. Her legal arguments and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution were winning strategies for public school desegregation, women’s rights in the workplace, and an extension of rights to LGBTQ+ people based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Betty Dorthea Massenburg

Mrs. Massenburg was the first Black female principal in Durham, leading Holloway Street Elementary in 1975. Her passion and commitment to teaching Durham students inspired not only the children, but also the community. She was a proud career educator, business owner, motivational speaker, poet, author, and community servant leader. Prior to being promoted to principal, she also taught at Crest Street and Fayetteville Street elementary schools; and, served as dean of girls and assistant principal at Rogers-Herr Middle School.