Join the National Park Service, Ohio History Connection and the University of Delaware by exploring a new exhibit on Alice Dunbar, featured this summer at the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Visitor Center. Born July 19, 1875, in New Orleans, Alice Dunbar Nelson navigated a world that attempted to limit the success of Black people, especially Black women. As a response to the situation, Alice took it upon herself to document her remarkable life as a writer, educator, activist and journalist. This exhibition explores Alice’s commitment to preserving her story for future generations.

The legacy of Alice’s archive was also shaped by her niece, Pauline A. Young—who found a home for her aunt’s papers—and by the Black feminist scholarship of former University of Delaware English professor Akasha Gloria Hull. This exhibit is free and open to the public and will be featured at the Dunbar visitor center located at 312 Edison St., Dayton, OH 45402. The exhibit will be open Friday–Sunday from July 19, 2025–September 28, 2025.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar House and Visitor Center is open Friday–Sunday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Follow the journey of Alice’s archive.