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Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar is honored in the release of a ten-cent commemorative stamp.
1975 (May 1)
A new ten-cent commemorative stamp honoring the Black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar went on sale. Dunbar, the son of ex-slaves, was born June 27, 1872, in Dayton, Ohio, and the first-day issue of the stamp was sold there. Dunbar, best known for his humorous poems in Black dialect, published several volumes of verse, three novels, and five collections of short stories. He died in 1906. Coincidental with the issuance of the Dunbar stamp, the United States Postal Service opened a special exhibit called “Black Americans on U.S. Postage Stamps" at the Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. At the conclusion of the special showing in Washington, the exhibit toured various post offices throughout the nation.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.