Growing up, Paul Laurence Dunbar didn’t have much. He grew up in poverty, and spent much of his childhood trying to get out of it. But there was something he did have – that was so priceless it couldn’t be measured.
His mother, an enslaved woman who taught herself to read, made sure Dunbar would not be deterred by a lack of education. She taught him to read at the age of four, and by six he was writing poetry. Based on how his life was likely to go, he needed as much of an early start as he could get.
Perhaps because of the jealousy and hatred he experienced from white writers, he struggled with alcoholism and a failed marriage. But there was something inside of him that provided a ray of hope in his life.
The kindness and investment his mother gave him stayed in his heart. He invested in the Black community, including those around him who needed resources, mentoring, and advocacy. And he still wrote amazing poetry that stayed true to our people!
In spite of his personal troubles, Dunbar’s kindness toward others was part of who he was. His ability to share from the good part of himself to uplift others is the type of energy we need more of in this world.