Paul Laurence Dunbar Birthday Celebration & Flag Raising Ceremony

Paul Laurence Dunbar Birthday Celebration & Flag Raising Ceremony

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, in partnership with Planned2Give, Woodland Cemetery, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, the Paul Laurence Dunbar chapter of the Association for the study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and the University of Dayton College of Arts and Sciences (Music) will host a full day of events to celebrate the 149th anniversary of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s birth.

Events will be held throughout the day on Sunday, June 27, 2021 and will commence at Woodland Cemetery. 

A flag-raising ceremony featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar High School will begin at 11:30. The Dunbar school flag will be hoisted above Paul Laurence Dunbar’s gravesite followed by a brief program. Visitors can learn about Dunbar’s final resting place and collect a free booklet to commemorate their visit. Meet at Dunbar’s burial plot towards the top of the main hill.

From noon until 3 pm at the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site, led by Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox, and Dr. David Sievers, University of Dayton students, Trinity Hines-Anthony, Ally Kaiser, and Angelo Moore-Knight will transform the Dunbar homestead into a living museum. Experience a ranger-led tour of the Dunbar homestead with live musical performances and poetry recitation; Moore-Knight will portray Paul Laurence Dunbar. The final tour of the day will start at 3:30 pm.

ASALH docents will be on hand to distribute food, beverages, and birthday cake inside of the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site visitor center beginning at noon (while supplies last). These events are free, and open to the public. Free parking is available at Woodland Cemetery and the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site.

Woodland Cemetery is located at 118 Woodland Avenue., Dayton, OH 45409 . The Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site is located at 219 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar St., Dayton, OH 45402.

The Dunbar 150 project was created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Dayton’s own critically acclaimed African American poet and author, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s birth. To learn more about the Dunbar 150 project or the Dunbar birthday celebration, please e-mail Dr. Brad Sauls, Dunbar 150 project coordinator at: bradley_sauls@nps.gov.

For information about the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site, please visit: www.nps.gov/places/dunbar-house.htm. To learn more about Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, please visit: www.nps.gov/daav. You can also find us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/DaytonAviationNPS, and @DaytonNHP on Twitter.

Links & Tags

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Paul Laurence Dunbar Birthday Celebration & Flag Raising Ceremony is taking place at Paul Laurence Dunbar House, which is located at 219 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar St. in Dayton. Paul Laurence Dunbar House - Tour the restored home of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), who gained international acclaim as a writer and voice for equality for African Americans.

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park - National Park Service - Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a five-unit park located in and around Dayton, Ohio.