Dunbar House is a local treasure
Student art on display now, plus there’s a birthday party slated for June. HOW TO GO
It’s always fascinating to peek into someone else’s home — whether it’s a house that’s been donated for a community event like the Designers’ Showhouse and Gardens, which ends today — or a home still being lived in and open for a weekend public tour over the holidays.
Historic homes of famous folks are especially fascinating. It’s easier to relate to larger-than-life figures after you’ve seen how their families lived day-to-day. When a cousin from Washington, D.C., visited us a few years ago, I took her to one of Dayton’s special treasures, the Paul Laurence Dunbar House. Because she works in the museum world, she was especially fascinated as she toured the house where the poet wrote many of his works.
“If this were a D.C. museum, everything would be under glass with ‘Do Not Touch’ signs,” she noted. “This place is amazing!”
Dunbar, who gained international acclaim as a writer and voice for equality for African Americans, lived in Ohio most of his life. He lived in the West Dayton house from 1904 until his death in 1906; his mother, Matilda, lived there from 1904 until she died in 1934. In 1936, the home became the first state memorial in the country honoring an African American. In 2003, the house was returned to its appearance at the time when Dunbar and his mother lived there.
Step inside the turn-of-the-20thcentury home and you’ll be transported to another era. In addition to Dunbar’s literary treasures, you’ll see many of his personal items and his family’s furnishings. Among the items on display are Dunbar’s bicycle, given to him by the Wright brothers; the desk and chair where the poet composed much of his work; his collection of Native American art and a ceremonial sword that President Theodore Roosevelt presented to him.
If you haven’t visited for a while, you may not know that the home is now owned by the Historical Society, managed by Dayton History and a unit of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. It is now free of charge, open on weekends (Friday through Sunday) and includes regular tours.
The museum hosts a birthday party weekend for the public each year; this summer the free event will be held June 29 and 30. Regular programming at the home includes storytelling, history seminars, poetry sessions and a Dunbar Literary Circle.
Art on display
Before you tour the home, you’ll stop at the welcome center. Take time to learn more about Dunbar’s life and see the art on display. At the moment it represents the work of area elementary and high school students who’ve entered the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Art, Poetry, Prose Contest. There’s also a permanent art exhibit by students from Northmont High School who reflect how they “Wear the Mask” mentioned in Dunbar’s famous poem.
The contest, now in its 34th year, was created by retired Dayton Public Schools educator Margaret Peters to increase students’ awareness and understanding of King’s legacy. Peters says she’s thrilled that, for the first time in the contest’s history, the artwork display and the award ceremony took place at the Dunbar House.
Peters, who founded the Dayton Chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), remembers when the organization had a national convention in Dayton years ago and she scheduled a visit to the historic home for delegates. “They all said it was a highlight of their weekend,” Peters recalls. “I think it’s because of the story. His mother had been a slave, someone’s property. But because of her son’s talent and his love for her, she was the owner of this beautiful home. What: Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial
Where: 219 Paul Laurence Dunbar St., Dayton
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday Admission: Free
More info: (937) 224-7061 or (937) 225-7705
Student Contest Art and Poetry Gallery: On display at the Dunbar House through June. The exhibit will then move to the Trotwood Community Center & Cultural Arts Center (4000 Lake Center Drive), then to Dayton Children’s Hospital. It will end at Dayton Public Schools Administration Building.
Dunbar’s Birthday on the Lawn: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 29 and 30. The free weekend includes poetry readings and music by local artists and citizens (Saturday) and a Youth and Family Day with 19th century games and chores, a STEM-oriented home tour, a Dunbar biopic and ice cream and cake. (Sunday)
Scholarships available: High school seniors from the Miami Valley who will attend Wright State in the fall can win a $3,200 scholarship. For information, contact Charlotte Harris at charlotte. harris@wright.edu It’s appropriate that they had a picture of Abraham Lincoln in their home because of the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Yvonne Curry, a retired teacher from Dayton Public Schools who judged the essay section of the contest, says her committee felt the Dunbar House was the ideal place to model the feelings students were conveying through their work. “Dunbar is a good model for them and he was a graduate of the Dayton Public Schools,” she says.
“It’s important that students know who Dr. King was and what he wanted to achieve,” says Peters. “We want them to continue to work for the dream which has not yet been completely fulfilled.”
Dunbar
That’s apparent from the subject matter and concerns reflected in the student work. “Many students are dealing with serious issues such as violence and equal opportunity, ” says Peters. “One of the students in a past contest wrote a poem about his fear of police. He was a tall, young black man, a good student, had never been in trouble but had been stalked by police. In his poem he can hear his mother crying.”
Judging the art
Judges for the art entries were artist/musician Reggie Harmon and illustrator Larry Crow, an interviewer with the HistoryMakers National Oral History Archives. “We judged this year’s art based on the student’s fidelity to the social justice related themes as articulated in the quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the aesthetic impact of their art on us and their craftsmanship and presentation,” says Crowe. “We had contributions that ranged from crayon on paper to markers, scratch board to acrylic paint on canvas.”
Crowe says the messages contained in the submission made it obvious students had internalized King’s social justice themes. “The teachers — Monica Houston, Langston Watras, Maragret Woods, Carolyn Rogers, and the rest — played a huge role in the conceptual success of their students’ work.”
In one piece, newspaper clippings about civil rights provide a backdrop for an image of Martin Luther King Jr. who is seen opening up the globe so that “Justice rolls down like water.” A multilayered print that — at first — looks like a bird flying is actually a profile of King’s face. In one portrait, hair becomes a “crown of achievements” by incorporating the names of many famous African Americans.
Sixteen-year-old Jalynn Carruth received a standing ovation at the awards ceremony when she read the essay that earned her a first-place medal.
Carruth, a student at Miami Valley Career Technology Center, said she’d never really thought about writing poems and essays, but heard about the contest through her sorority and decided it was an opportunity to learn more about King and the history behind him. Now, she says, she’s hoping to continue her writing.
For the contest, she chose to illuminate King’s quote, “No one is free until we all all free.” After recounting the horrors of slavery in her essay, Carruth wrote: “Until that day where everyone treats others like individuals, we need to show love. We have to make a change. Living in chaos is not the way. When we are in the mindset of being hopeless or broken down, look in every direction and look unto God. He does not wake everyone up the next morning. From cops killing innocent African Americans, to black on black crime. We won’t stop. We will be restricted until we all show faith, love and confidence that we are proud to be who we are as African Americans.”
Carruth says through her essay she wanted to tell others about slavery and how African Americans have been treated. “What I learned is that being black is definitely OK and that it’s OK to be yourself,” she says. “It was just great being where Dunbar was and seeing his lifestyle. It was very inspirational.”