Also American
Struggle & ResistanceAchievement & Excellence

February 1906

Zoom out
Achievement · literature
Paul Laurence Dunbar Dies, Legacy of America's First Nationally Recognized Black Poet

Paul Laurence Dunbar died at age 33, leaving behind a body of poetry, novels, and short stories that had made him the first African American poet to achieve national and international critical recognition. His dialect poetry — though later debated — gave voice to Black rural Southern life, while his formal verse addressed race and humanity with power. Dunbar's work influenced the Harlem Renaissance poets who followed him.

Events

  1. February 9, 1906
    Paul Laurence Dunbar Dies, Legacy of America's First Nationally Recognized Black Poet

    Paul Laurence Dunbar died at age 33, leaving behind a body of poetry, novels, and short stories that had made him the first African American poet to achieve national and international critical recognition. His dialect poetry — though later debated — gave voice to Black rural Southern life, while his formal verse addressed race and humanity with power. Dunbar's work influenced the Harlem Renaissance poets who followed him.

  2. February 9, 1906
    Paul Laurence Dunbar Dies at Age 33

    Paul Laurence Dunbar, America's first Black poet to achieve national celebrity, died of tuberculosis in Dayton, Ohio, at age 33. His death was mourned nationally; his work had inspired a generation of Black writers.

  3. February 20, 1906
    Bert Williams and George Walker Open 'Abyssinia' on Broadway

    'Abyssinia,' the follow-up to 'In Dahomey,' opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway, continuing the Williams and Walker company's groundbreaking run as the premier Black theatrical producers in America.