Because few people are as important to Dunbar's history as Anna J. Cooper, a woman who became the principal of the school that eventually became Dunbar M Street High School. MR. KOJO NNAMDIAlison Stewart joins us in studio. Jan. 2023 News; Decemeber 2022 News (2) December 2022 News; November 2022 News; September 2022 News; July 2022 News; June 2022 News (2) May 2022 News; . Share your memories by posting photos or stories, or find out about your next class reunion! The group formed the core of the 1982-1983 Dunbar High School basketball team. So that was a moment that I will never, obviously, ever forget. And she would help that student advance. And it was built, I believe, in 1807 and a white, Northern Quaker came down to be the teacher and that's the Bell School after George Bell [sp?] All six of us, my siblings, we all went to Dunbar High School. B. Bickerstaff, 1923-1927 H. M. Shields, 1927-1934 Arthur Shores, 1934-1939 J. T. Gaines, 1939-1944 Jennie Davis, 1944-1945 Jackson Solomon Abrams, 1945-1959 Walter Branch, 1959-1960 Notable alumni. The Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Convocation & Alumni Federation (DAF) is the effort for the 2000 decade. It had nothing to do with the color of your skin. People on this list must have gone to Dunbar High School and be of some renown. Good afternoon. That's next Monday, August 26. There have been documentaries. NNAMDINo need to open the debate about charter schools here because, well, it's never closed. She is the author of "First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School." It will be available by the end of the month. But let me say, I think the issue about the skin color is a myth. There's a great documentary now called "Dark Girls" about this color issue and it's not just in the black community. There were a lot of freed blacks in Washington with political connections, savvy and in some cases money. And it is now permanently in the new school. The thing that they did with us is that they said to us over and over and over again, you are exceptional. She had been there for years. Dunbar Senior High School in Washington DC was established in 1870 and was the first public high school for African-Americans in the District of Columbia and the United States of America. Truthfully, Anna J. Cooper came in the middle but because of her association with DuBois and she had invited DuBois to speak at Dunbar and he had STEWARTHe did. List of famous alumni from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, with photos when available. It's kind of amazing. So he stayed. And a lot of people felt that that may have been the turning point of the board of education wanting to take over the colored schools. KEITHHello, everyone. STEWARTSo there was this sense that in Washington, if you could figure out how to do it and how to do it safely, I have to add, because many of these schools were run out of the homes they were in. Thank you so much for joining us. NNAMDIThank you very much for your call, Janie. First, we start writing the story instantly, so she starting writing letters instantly. Here is Keith in Washington, D.C. Keith, you're on the air. At 16 years old, Bell was the lead plaintiff in Bell v. Maryland, a case that ultimately helped push the U.S. toward desegregation. And I want to say the reason I'm using that word, and I write about it in my forward, is I chose to use the word colored and Negro and Black and African-American as the words were used during those times and as various newspapers, news sources like The New York Times and The Atlantic decided to change the language. Located in a very diverse region rich in assets, not only geographically (relief, climate), but also economic and human, the Lyon-Grenoble Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes is the latest INRAE centre to be created. One of the things my dad said to me in an interview was, you know, there are whole legions of white students in New York who have had your mother as a teacher, who have experienced a black woman in a way that they probably never would have otherwise. Dunbar at the time was based on talent. So they could go into the school system and teach further. So she picked him up and they moved to Washington to live with the grandparents, and my grandfather worked in the post office in New York, which was a good job at the time. He was a real mentor to a lot of young men and woman, very quietly, very privately throughout his career. STEWARTHe was such an interesting case, because my dad actually grew up Harlem, New York, and he had gone to integrated schools, and his best pals were Rudy and Val on 143rd Street and they used to ride around the subway. The school originally opened on Summit Street in 1933 and graduated its first class in 1936. I will go to an elementary question because we've gotten several emails asking who's Dunbar? Go ahead, please. Tupac Amaru Shakur ( TOO-pahk sh-KOOR; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. And his track coach -- he was a big track guy, was really invested in making sure he got home to do his homework and that he was thinking about the Merchant Marine Academy and that -- all these things. JANIEHi. Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., was the nations first public high school for black students. And ultimately that came to include colored Washingtonians. She wanted to continue her education and finally got herself into a school for young women to learn to teach. Tuesday, Mar 30 2021Ms. Go ahead, please. It is also known to be America's first public high school for African-Americans. He's a brilliant writer, and he is really not very well known. NNAMDIWell, you embarked on this journey like a reporter with a deadline because we don't have time to sit around conceiving of the plot. I have everything I ever -- my whole life is because of them, all the good things in my life. particularly in African American communities. to be the architect of Dunbar. Well, you know, I left the PBS show "Need to Know" to finish this book. It looked like a movie set to me. We also believe that these two forces will serve as the bridge to unite all of Dunbars alumni regardless of decade and foster a new sense of great pride in our Alma Mater. If you see your name among the Dunbar High School graduates, someone is looking for you! And she was persecuted for it by the school board. One of the things I've said to people is my parents both passed away during the writing of this book. Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is a former professional basketball player and current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. But a lot of people don't realize that he came up with that wonderful line. Prominent graduates from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. It was created to educate African-American youth and to employ teachers of color. NNAMDIHow much of your desire to tell the story came out of a feeling that if it wasn't told that people who still knew it, the people who didn't think of it as a basketball or a football power, that people who still lived it would fade away? What are you talking about? His writing is absolutely brilliant, but he had a very sad life. Legacy Of Notable Alumni. If you have called, stay on the line. Map. And thank you all for listening. I'm going to bring up that at one point to get into Dunbar, regardless of whether you came from another state or if you were a Washingtonian, you had to pass what they call, is the paper bag test and I'd like to know if that is written about in your book. NNAMDIA lot of young people don't know what a typewriter looks like, but that's another story. HOME. An all-clear notice was given after more than an hour-and-a-half. I always joke that if there were that many doctors and lawyers coming out, we'd be a lot better place. STEWARTYeah, you know, it's so interesting and I write in the book when I first -- one of the times I got into a cab to go to Dunbar and the cab driver said, oh, that's only for light -- that place is only for light-skinned Blacks. Many alumni describe the new building as a prominent, first class, 21st Century teaching and learning facility that honors the past, present and future. STEWARTShe really went out of her way to treat each student as an individual. NNAMDICan we go all the way back, Alison, to the beginning for a minute? As for those of you who are still listening to the broadcast, if you'd like to join it, give us a call at 800-433-8850. Alison, how much better did you feel you understood your own parents and the people they eventually became by making such a close study of this part of their lives? Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., was the nation's first public high school for black students. STEWARTThank you. I understand that. Its alumni include the U.S. Armys first black general and the first black federal judge in American history. From what I read about Dunbar, my understanding is that Dunbar actually started in the basement of 15th Street Presbyterian Church at 15th and R. JACKAnd yes -- the 15 Street Presbyterian Church. STEWARTYou two stay together. Over the brief period of eleven years, DAF has achieved great progress in mobilizing alumni across eight decades, coordinating efforts of Classes to provide supports to Dunbar students, faculty and school, disbursing over $120,000 in college scholarships and development activities. It's called "Keep a Plugging Away." Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School will get a fresh start next week when classes officially open for the first time in a brand new state-of-the-art facility at First and N Streets Northwest. You know, they had met in high school, and they were married nearly 55 years, and were married here by Reverend James O. So she taught to plantation owners' children but she saw young girls the same age in the fields. At the center, with the ball, is Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues. STEWARTThe school is beautiful, the new school, and I know the building's important, but it's really about the human capital, because that's what made Dunbar great. In addition, we encourage you to . STEWARTAnd I, you know, of course I did the math and I thought, okay, so there's this academically rigorous high school where students can speak two and three languages and their teachers have PhDs and master's degrees, but obviously this is during segregation. Yay for the people who asked that question. It's a different era, but what sense do you get for how the blueprint that made Dunbar what it was can be applied to schools like the modern version of Dunbar today? Memories. STEWARTYou're crazy. Wednesday, Mar 31 2021Poet, essayist and editor Kevin Young is the second director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. STEWARTAnd she realized that the one way to begin an education movement among colored Americans was to teach colored Americans to teach their own. STEWARTSo I, you know, as a journalist, I'm always in and out of D.C. and I said to a colleague, somebody from NPR, hey, I'm going to go over and see Dunbar. So she really started the force of the teaching force that Dunbar became known for, this excellent, excellent teaching force. STEWARTYeah, I think it was a part of D.C.'s social fabric is what I came to sort of wrap it into the school and there have been numerous books. She joins us in studio, Alison Stewart, welcome. STEWARTVery good. You know, the first schoolhouse, physical building, was built by three laborers who were illiterate, but wanted to have a schoolhouse for their children. BEVERLYHi. And the Miner school became a real outlet for graduates of Dunbar. Dunbar High alums Del. As a rgion, it encompassed the southeastern dpartements of Loire, Rhne, Ain, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Isre, Drme, and Ardche. And when she asked, can I teach those girls too, they told her well, that's illegal. . The 9th grade Academy and the Twilight Academy commenced at the start of the 2011 school year. As you heard Eleanor say, they cried when they realized that things were going to change. Roy Logan Abner. whose wife had to buy his freedom for $400 before they could even conceive of building a school. Before you had even seen the place, what was the image of Dunbar that existed in your mind? . The fourth period began in the 70s with the razing of the 1916 building and replacement with a modern structure. NNAMDIWhen you visited that school in 2003, it was located in a different building on New Jersey Avenue. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In the 19th -- the early part of the 20th century, middle class starts to grow again in Washington, D.C. Jobs and government starts to get bigger and bigger. More than a century of history will follow faculty and students into that new facility: Dunbar was the nations first public high school for black students. One of Paul Laurence Dunbars poems was adopted as the schools inspiration: Keep-A-Plugging Away.. I am also a historian and I've been doing a little bit of research in through turn of the century D.C. public schools but particularly Central High School. Politics and Prose where, of course, you can also get the book, is at 5015 Connecticut Avenue Northwest. That's not to say otherwise. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is part of Dayton City Schools. And you said to yourself, who is this Miner person? NNAMDIThat's probably one of the instructions they got in Dunbar, you can't breakup. Go to my website, alisonstewart.net. Share your memories by posting photos or stories, or find out about your next class reunion! A Timeline Of How Biggie And Tupac's Friendship Turned Into An Infamous Feud, The Greatest Singers of the Past 30 Years, The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings, The Greatest Shooting Guards in NBA History. At the center, with the ball, is. I shouldn't say that, you know, it was mayhem, but it really didn't have that sense of, this is a house of learning in the way that it had been described to me by my mother and my father and my uncle and my cousin. What were your impressions when you first walked in? The school mascot is the wolverine. From left: Darryl Wood, Reggie Lewis, Reggie Williams, Tim Dawson and Jerry White. We're going to take a short break, but we'll be right back. My mom and I enjoyed watching her on 'Need to Know.' NNAMDIAnd, you know, when I first came to town there was something called D.C. teacher's Miners college. All rights reserved. The school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and serves approximately 550 students. Naval Academy to reach the rank of admiral, and Edward Brooke, the first African American to be elected by popular vote to the U.S. Senate. Dunbar High School opened in 1923 at 545 North Upper Street as the only all-black high school in Lexington's city school system. This is in the second term, so the late '90s. And obviously she read it and kept it in and during the speech had me stand and say, see, there's someone on my staff that sat in those very chairs that you did. STEWARTOne of the things that was so difficult about writing this book, Kojo, was there are so many people I could interview and talk to. She had to learn to shoot a gun, but she set up a school. People on this list must have gone to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and be of some renown. But the interesting thing in Washington D.C. was while the government did not provide public schools for black students, African-American students, colored students as they called them, it was not illegal to teach free coloreds in the District. It's a reunion year for Class of '73, Class of '83, Class of '93, Class of '03, and Class of '13. Alison, you grew up in a home with two parents who went to Dunbar. The alumni of Dunbar Senior High in Dunbar, West Virginia are encouraged to use this site to relive their time in high school by sharing with former students and teachers of Dunbar Senior High School. MS. ALISON STEWARTThank you so much for having me. STEWARTAnd when he got to D.C., he said I don't think anybody mentioned that my school was going to be segregated. Alison Stewart is a journalist who during the past several decades has worked for NPR, PBS, MSNBC, and MTV. Paul Laurence Dunbar ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Register as an alumni from Dunbar High School and reunite with old friends and classmates. The Dunbar High School was a segregated public high school for African-American students founded in 1922, and located at 545 North Upper Street in the Northside neighborhood in Lexington. And given that background, I just wanted to make a comment. And he said, oh, I'm from New York. STEWARTBut there was a campaign to change that idea about public schools, that they should be schools for all, was the campaign. So since then I have worked in Switzerland at the WHO. STEWARTAt first, I thought it was really a sad story. D.C.'s Dunbar High School evacuated for bomb threat. who says, "I'm a former Dunbar teacher. STEWARTThank you. MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. STEWARTThe other reason I think it has really stuck to Dunbar's history -- and I think unfairly, I'll be honest, I think -- because I don't think that's what the school was about. My sister and I were talking about how the rhythms of our country's history repeat themselves. Moreover, DAF encouraged the formation of the Dunbar Room at Sumner School, established an Endowment Fund, and advocated for a new focus on academic excellence. [10] Allow me to go back to the telephones to Beverly in Washington, D.C. Hi, Beverly. Dunbar Alumni Federation Treasurer and School Improvement Team Member, Alumni Condolence Registry & Remembrances. Prominent graduates from Dunbar High School include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. Here are some of the notable people celebrating . And when I walked over to the school and I saw it and I went in, I realized a lot of the students didn't even know the history of the school, which really saddened me. STEWARTIn my mind, hearing my parents talk about it -- and my father's father went to Dunbar as well and graduated in 1915 when it was still the M Street School. David Grover Stacey Wingate, Jr. (born December 15, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball player. She is the author of "First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School." disease. Thank you very much for your call, Janie. And they started to slowly take away and unravel all of the laws and all of the advances that black Americans had started to make. And I think it's so important -- you can't relive the past -- you cannot recreate Dunbar, but you can be inspired by its history, the fight for it, the fight for it to stay being a good school, the excellence and the extraordinary achievements of its graduates. I'm Kojo Nnamdi. JACKYeah, okay. MS. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTONOur teachers consisted of a very unusual group of people. My grandfather was a grad of M Street and became a Colonel in the Army and was the highest ranking black in the military for many years, and also was involved in integrating the Armed Forces, and that's probably why he never got a star, because that was back in the day. A few notable graduates and achievers include: Senator Edward Brooke, General Benjamin O. Davis, Judge William Hastie, Brigadier General Elmer Brooks, DC Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy, Superintendent Floretta Dukes McKenzie, DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and the Honorable Mayor of the District of Columbia, Vincent C. Gray, Colbert I. Even if alumni from Dunbar High School have moved away from Mobile, Alabama, they can use this site to find and contact high school friends. By the time he released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he had. NNAMDIBecause if you're going to paint a picture, it's got to have authentic context and the language provides a very important context for the times in which Dunbar evolved. You come from a rich legacy and you can do and go anywhere. And you were talking earlier about, you know, the middle class, you know, college orientation of Dunbar and N Street High School, those are the roots that it came from. According to various historical records, there has been an alliance of alumni classes for the 1800s &, 1900s. Register to let other graduates of Dunbar High School find and contact you. Amber Dawn Anthony. STEWARTMyrtilla Miner was a very interesting woman. A lot of single-parent families. Top 27 universities in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. Alison, I am loving your book. We talked with D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, herself a Dunbar graduate, and she talked about those teachers. Charles Richard Drew (June 3, 1904 April 1, 1950) was an American surgeon and medical researcher. NNAMDIIn case you're just joining us, we're talking with Alison Stewart. You can call us at 800-433-8850. West. I can't recite the entire poem, but they could recite the entire poem, and it was really the mantra of the school. Wednesday, Mar 31 2021Kojo talks with author Briana Thomas about her book Black Broadway In Washington D.C., and the Districts rich Black history. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million, Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 July 17, 1997) was an American economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban, Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician serving as a non-voting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia. You did ask about where you would be able to get the book. Woodrow Wilson come into office and re-segregates the government. I'm glad Alison is reviving Dunbar's history, and that Dunbar has a new facility. What kind of urgency did you come to this project with? That is, I think, so important, and I'm paraphrasing here, but I think it was Marcus Garvey who said, a culture in ethnicity that doesn't know its history is like a tree without its roots. If you see your name among the Dunbar High School graduates, someone is looking for you! STEWARTI think one is because it happened socially. Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud; May 21, 1952) is an American actor, bodyguard, television personality, and retired professional wrestler, known for his roles as B. My mother became a public school teacher so education, education, education was the mantra in our home. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School formerly known as Preparatory High School for Colored Youth and M Street High School is known for its long history of notable graduates and the stellar academic achievements of its students.