[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 2, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Paul Laurence Dunbar 
Commemorative Coin Act, which would direct the Secretary of the 
Treasury to mint and issue coins in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar. This 
bill would recognize one of the first influential African American 
poets in American literature and benefit the Dunbar Alumni Federation, 
the alumni association for the Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School 
in the District of Columbia, which is historic for being the first 
public high school for African Americans in the United States. I am a 
proud graduate of Dunbar, a storied African American high school in our 
country.
  Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, to formerly enslaved 
parents, and went on to pen such classics as Majors and Minors and 
Lyrics of Lowly Life. He also composed the lyrics to In Dahomey, the 
first all-African American musical produced on Broadway. By the late 
1890s, Dunbar had become a prominent author, having had his poems 
published in major national newspapers, including The New York Times. 
Dunbar died on February 9, 1906, at age 33.
  Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School was established in 1870 as 
the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. It was the first college 
preparatory high school for African American children in the United 
States. The school was renamed for Dunbar in 1916.
  The Dunbar Alumni Federation was organized in 2002 to provide 
scholarships and other financial support to students and graduates of 
Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School. The Federation has alumni from 
more than 35 graduating classes, and supports the school through its 
scholarship efforts, community activities and other endeavors.
  This bill would authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 
50,000 five-dollar coins, 400,000 one-dollar coins and 750,000 half-
dollar coins, with a surcharge on each coin. The surcharges would 
benefit the scholarships and similar activities of the Dunbar Alumni 
Federation.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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