'There would be no 'Hamilton' without Dunbar's work.' Marking Paul Laurence Dunbar's legacy at...

A year-long commemoration is underway honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Born in 1872 to parents who had been enslaved, Paul Laurence Dunbar was raised in Dayton, Ohio. He would become one of the most important and influential African American poets of all time.

"He's the first African American poet to make his living by his pen," explains Minnita Daniel-Cox, DMA, founder of the Dunbar Music Archive and the Dunbar Library and Archive. "He is part of the first generation of freeborn enslaved peoples in the United States, and he completely changes the game and establishes and is really important in development of the Harlem Renaissance."

She explains he did so by using standard English and dialect in his works, which number more than 400, including 12 books of poetry, four novels, four books of short stories, and the lyrics to many popular songs.