Collection Focus: National Dunbar Alumni Association Historical Collection

The National Dunbar Alumni Association Historical Collection (UALR.MS.0021)  features materials from the students of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School collected by the National Dunbar History Project as well as material from the memorabilia room at Dunbar Magnet Middle School, and records and reunion materials from the National Dunbar Alumni Association.

The National Dunbar History Project was conducted as a collaboration between the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Masters in Public History Program, UA Little Rock's Archives and Special Collections, and the National Dunbar Alumni Association of Little Rock, Arkansas. The project collected artifacts and manuscript material related to Paul Laurence Dunbar Junior High School from 1929-1955. Oral history interviews were also conducted with alumni, a project that continues today through UA Little Rock's Center for Arkansas History and Culture.

Many of the items were displayed in an exhibit entitled “The Finest High School for Negro Boys and Girls: A History of Dunbar High School in Little Rock” that was held in 1996 at the Arkansas Territorial Restoration (now the Historic Arkansas Museum). The exhibit was later modified as a travelling exhibit. Materials collected during the project are included in Series 1- Individual Files, Series 2- Oral Histories, Series 4- Printed Material, and Series 6- Photographs. Many of the donations from the National Dunbar History Project were displayed in the memorabilia room. Recently, those items have been turned over to UA Little Rock's Center for Arkansas History and Culture to be added to the collection.

The National Dunbar Alumni Association (NDAA) formed as a way for the students of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School to stay connected with one another. The first Dunbar alumni association was organized by 1949. The current alumni association dates to 1973, when the first national reunion was held; five years later, the National Dunbar Alumni Association was incorporated. With 11 local chapters nationwide, the association plays an active role in preserving Dunbar's legacy through scholarships, mentoring programs, and special projects and activities. Materials related to the National Dunbar Alumni Association are included in Series 3- Memorabilia, and Series 5- NDAA Organizational Files.

To learn more about the collection, our finding aid can be viewed here.