PRESERVING HISTORY
Like her mother before her, Angel Burt has lived, worked and raised her family in the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood. Since the late 1800s, the area has been one of the most prominent African-American communities in Arkansas. Burt is the executive director and a founding member of the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood Association, which was formed in 2015.
“The Dunbar Historic District is a wonderful place to live, work or go to school,” she said. “DHNA is striving to create a strong ecosystem and a sustainable, thriving community.”
The area has been home to notable figures such as civil-rights attorney Scipio A. Jones, Mosaic Templars of America founder John E. Bush, musician Florence Price and civil-rights activist Daisy Bates. Notable historic landmarks include Dunbar Middle School, several churches, Philander Smith College and Arkansas Baptist College.
The DHNA works to convey the history of the area and return it to its original prominence through activities such as the annual Paul Laurence Dunbar Community Festival. Burt said the organization is building a database of local historic homes and developing a walking tour of the neighborhood. She also hopes to organize a fundraiser in Price’s name to rehabilitate the historic auditorium at Dunbar Middle School, where she played in 1935 after gaining international fame.
“As DHNA continues to bring awareness about this historic community, everyone will realize the importance and significance of preserving this historic community,” she said. “Our goal is to encourage people to want to live and raise their families in the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood.”