Lela Murray (June 12, 1887 – March 18, 1949) was a prominent black businesswoman, community leader, and advocate for civil rights in Los Angeles during the first half of the 20th century.

She was the daughter of Isaac Newton and Susie Campbell, freed slaves who became teachers in Christian County's segregated schools.

Isaac Newton would go on to be elected Kentucky's first black magistrate, but after charges of fraud fueled by racism in the region, would relocate his family to Kansas.

They turned their attention to Bell Mountain, a black homesteading community near Victorville, California, where years ago, in 1915, they had filed a previous claim but had been unable to prove up due to business obligations in the city.

Murray's Ranch allowed middle and upper class African Americans access to the same style of recreation as their white counterparts in a time of increasing segregation and Jim Crow law.

Lela also hosted Easter Sunrise services attended by members of Los Angeles’ most influential black churches.

In her eulogy, Reverend Orene Phelps compared Mrs. Murray to “a desert flower” – something beautiful and unexpected that had somehow managed to flourish in a hard, dry land.