Norton Reintroduces Bill to Create Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced the Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 five-dollar coins, 400,000 one-dollar coins and 750,000 half-dollar coins in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar. The surcharge from each coin sold would benefit scholarships and other activities of the Dunbar Alumni Federation, the alumni association for Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School. Congresswoman Norton is a proud Dunbar Senior High School alumna.

"Paul Laurence Dunbar holds a special place in my life as the namesake of my high school, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, which was the first preparatory high school in the nation for African American students," Norton said. "Paul Laurence Dunbar is recognized as one of the greatest African American poets in United States. Minting a coin in his honor would be a fitting tribute to such a historic figure, while also helping to continue raising funds for important causes undertaken by the Dunbar Alumni Federation."

Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School was established in D.C. in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. The school was renamed for Dunbar in 1916. Notable alumni include Edward Brooke, the first popularly elected African American to the U.S. Senate; Wesley A. Brown, the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy; and Robert C. Weaver, the first-ever Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 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.

Norton's introductory statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act of 2026

April 6, 2026

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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