Paul William Dunbar High School, originally Bessemer Colored High School, was a public school for African-American students which operated in
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States and a southwestern suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is within the Bi ...
from 1923 to 1980. It served grades 1 through 12 when it opened, and its first graduating class matriculated in 1927 under principal J. B. Bickerstaff. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on March 18, 2011.
History
At the suggestion of English teacher Pearl Blivens, the school was renamed for Ohio-born poet
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...
(1872–1906) in 1928. In addition to academic subjects, the school offered a wide range of vocational training programs. Among the school's notable faculty members was
Arthur Shores
Arthur Davis Shores (September 25, 1904 – December 16, 1996) was an American civil rights attorney who was considered Alabama's "drum major for justice".
Education
Shores graduated from Talladega College where he became a member of Alpha Phi A ...
, a polymath who taught science, history, civics and literature. He served briefly as principal before becoming a notable
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
attorney. Notable graduates include art collector
Paul R. Jones and activist
James Boggs.
Long-time principal Jackson Solomon Abrams died in 1959 and a new high school then under construction was named in his memory. Dunbar was converted into an elementary and middle school until it closed in 1980. The building was subsequently acquired by the National Dunbar-Abrams Foundation and partially renovated as a community center.
Athletics
Dunbar High School fielded a football team nicknamed the Blue Devils. Their most common opponent was Westfield High School whom they played 23 times and whom they had a winning record against of 15-7-1. They played 19 times against the Rosedale High School Sons of Kong over whom they also had a winning record of 10-8-1.
Notable alumni
* Alfred Hall, 32 year coaching career at Brighton High School aa head football coach with a record of (130-84-11), and leading basketball, baseball, and track programs.
*
Johnnie Cornelius Laurie, (graduated 1934–1935) U.S. Navy, gave his life for his country at Battle of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
[AL.com, October 17, 2019]
*
Jack Whitten
Jack Whitten (December 5, 1939 – January 20, 2018) was an American abstract painter and sculptor, who was part of the Black Abstractionism canon. According to the Museum of Modern Art, he "invented art-making techniques that were the first of ...
See also
*
References
* Nance, Rahkia (January 24, 2007) "Old Bessemer high school for blacks being renovated." ''The Birmingham News''
External links
*
Bessemer, Alabama
Public high schools in Alabama
Educational institutions established in 1923
National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Alabama
1923 establishments in Alabama
Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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