Newspapers In Education Visit NIE online at www.sidneydailynews.com, www.troydailynews.com or www.dailycall.com
NIE Coordinator: Dana Wolfe / Graphic Designer: Scarlett E. Smith
15% OFF Any One Item Sandra Armbruster, Unit Leader 937.339.5966 • searmbruster@msn.com www.mycmsite.com/sarmbruster
MIAMI COUNTY SANITARY ENGINEERING DEPT. WATER-WASTEWATER SOLID WASTE
937-440-5653 Fax 937-335-4208 N. Co. Rd 25A, Troy, OH 45373-1342
Paul Laurence Dunbar 2331 W. Market St., Troy • 937.339.4800
All-You-Can-Eat Soup & Salad $7.99 Monday-Friday 11am-4pm
The North Central Ohio Solid Waste District "Promoting Greater Participation in Recycling"
www.ncowaste.org
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RANDY HARVEY Lawncare Manager
(937) 335-6418 (Ohio) 1-800-237-5296 Fax (937) 339-7952
Memory Lane Antiques, LLC 128 East Poplar Street Sidney, Ohio 45365 937-495-1014 Betty S. Johnson, Owner
128 S. Main St., Sidney (Next to Ron & Nita’s)
492-3330
M-TH 9-6; F 9-8; Sat 9-5
Miami Soil & Water Conservation District 1330 N.Cty Rd. 25A; Ste C; Troy, Ohio 45373 335-7645 or 335-7666 Fax 335-7465 www.miamiswcd.org
Born in Dayton in 1872 to former slaves Joshua and Matilda Dunbar, Paul Laurence Dunbar was his mother’s third son. Although he encountered many obstacles, Paul believed in “preparation, perseverance, bravery, patience, honesty and the power to seize the opportunity.” Life wasn’t easy for the Dunbar family. Joshua was an educated man who fought in the Civil War, but he could not find work. Matilda took in laundry, and Paul’s brothers did odd jobs to make money. When Paul was young, his parents divorced, which exacerbated the financial stress. Despite their poverty, Matilda made sure her children enjoyed lives full of the songs, poetry and stories she loved. Paul loved these things, too. He wrote his first poem when he was six. As Paul grew, his writing talent brought him recognition that was unusual for black Americans in the 1880s. He recited his poetry publicly, and a newspaper published one of his poems when he was 14. He was the only black student at his high school, yet he was the editor of the school newspaper, president of the literary club and senior class president. After high school, Dunbar faced even more discrimination. He wanted to attend Harvard, but few colleges accepted blacks in 1890. He wanted to write for newspapers, but they didn’t hire blacks. He took the only paying job he could find. He became an elevator operator. By day he ran the elevator, but at night he continued to write. He published his first book of poetry, Oak and Ivy, in 1892. He published more books, and his writing eventually began to appear in national magazines and in Europe. Despite these achievements, Dunbar’s life was still difficult. Many people criticized his writing because he wrote in slave dialects to express the experiences of black men and women. Many whites couldn’t believe that a black man was smart enough to write. They didn’t want to hear what he was trying to say about racial injustice, but Dunbar persevered. He worked nearly until the day he died of tuberculosis in 1906 at age 33. He had published 12 books of poetry, four books of short stories, five novels, a play, and lyrics for eight musicals. His work would inspire the next generation of black writers whose explosion of great writing became known as the Harlem Renaissance.
Paul Laurence Dunbar (photograph courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch)
Words to Know: Renaissance discrimination exacerbated perseverance generation dialects For Discussion: 1. What did Paul Laurence Dunbar believe in that helped him overcome so many obstacles in his path? 2. How did Dunbar’s mother affect his career as a writer? 3. How did Dunbar’s writing affect the next generation of black writers?
Newspaper Activity: Paul Laurence Dunbar was a member of the first generation of free black Americans born after slavery. He was talented and educated, but he faced great discrimination. Reflect on what life from the 1880s to early 1900s might have been like for blacks with equal or less education and talent. How is life the same or different for blacks today? Use newspaper articles to support your statements.
Piqua: N. Wayne St. Covington Ave E. Ash St.-Wal-Mart
615-1042 778-4617 773-9000
Troy: W. Main St. W. Main St.-Wal-Mart
339-6626 332-6820
Tipp City: W. Main St
667-4888
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Local Leaders, Local Lenders
“Ohio: The Inside Story” is produced through a grant from The Ohio Newspapers Foundation, a nonprofit charitable and educational organization affiliated with The Ohio Newspaper Association. This is one of a series of 24 Ohio profiles.
Dine-In Food Any Dine-In Food Lunch Family Mexican $3 OFF AnyPurchase Purchase Or $5 OFF Of $25 Or More 15%OFF Dinner Of $15 Or More Restaurant
2317 West Main St. • Troy
937-440-8999
Family Mexican Restaurant
Not valid with any other offers. Valid Sun-Thurs. Excludes Alcohol. Expires 6-30-13. Not valid on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) or Mother’s Day.
Family Mexican Restaurant
Not valid with any other offers. Valid Sun-Thurs. Excludes Alcohol. Expires 6-30-13. Not valid on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) or Mother’s Day.
Family Mexican Restaurant
Not valid with any other offers. Valid Sun-Thurs. Excludes Alcohol. Expires 6-30-13. Not valid on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) or Mother’s Day.
The Newspapers In Education Mission – Our mission is to provide Miami, Shelby
and neighboring county school districts with a weekly newspaper learning project If you would like to be that promotes reading and community journalism as a foundation for communication skills, utilizing the Piqua Daily Call, the Sidney Daily News, the an NIE Sponsor Record Herald and the Troy Daily News as quality educational resource tools. please contact Dana Wolfe Thank you to our sponsors! The generous contributions of our sponsors and I-75 dwolfe@civitasmedia.com Group Newspapers vacation donors help us provide free newspapers to community classrooms as well as support NIE activities. To sponsor NIE or donate your newspaper while on vacation, contact NIE Coordinator Dana Wolfe or 440-5211 at dwolfe@tdnpublishing.com or (937) 440-5211