Little Known Black History Fact – Black America 250: June 27, 1872- The Birthdate of Paul Lawrence Dunbar: From “Elevator Boy Poet”  to “Accomplished Poet”

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872 to two former slaves. His father was enslaved in Kentucky but escaped and served in the Massachusetts 55th Regiment during the Civil War. Dunbar attended public school and was taught to read by his mother. He was the only African American student at Dayton Central High and was exceptionally bright and talented. He served as editor-in-chief of the school paper, president of the literary society, and class poet. As talented as he was, he did not have the funds for college and was forced to take a job as an elevator operator after he graduated in 1891 due to lack of jobs that accepted African Americans. His passion for writing still remained and he wrote whenever he could, even during his breaks at work. In 1892, James Newton Mathews, a former teacher of Dunbar’s, invited Dunbar to read his poetry at the annual meeting of the Western Association of Writers held in Dayton. Soon after, Dunbar became well-known as the “elevator boy poet”.

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