[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 63 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E308]
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

                        Thursday, April 9, 2026

  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 was 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.
  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 wrote the lyrics for 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 Americans 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 Dunbar Alumni 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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