The Dunbar Family History

Alice Dunbar Nelson was a poet, critic, journalist and activist who was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Sister of internationally renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Father to internationally renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Half-brother to renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Half-brother to renowned poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Mother of acclaimed international poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote more than just poetry, he wrote literature in all of its venues. He wrote poems and novels, newspaper articles and lyrics for Broadway musicals. He wrote short stories and operettas, ballads and orations. He is credited as the first writer to put the African American experience in all its diverse forms before a broader audience. His work became the voice for the African American experience in America at that time.