BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
Friday, January 2, 2009 |
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR (1872-1906) was one of the first black writers to gain national prominence.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, on June 27, 1872, to Matilda and Joshua Dunbar, both natives of Kentucky who had escaped from slavery, Dunbar had a love of learning and history instilled in him from his mother. Matilda and Joshua had two children before separating in 1874. Matilda supported her children by working in Dayton as a washerwoman. One of the families she worked for included that of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Having heard poems read by the family she worked for when she was a slave, Matilda loved poetry and encouraged her children to read. Dunbar was inspired by his mother, and he began reciting and writing poetry as early as age 6.
