Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Past Had a Lasting Effect on his Future Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of two former slaves, absorbed his mother’s wisdom and stories told by his father. As one of the last of a generation to interact with actual slaves, he was able to use his father’s story telling spirit and mother’s wisdom to depict the life experiences of African Americans. Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872 …showed first 75 words of 1904 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1904 total…to the valuable contributions Africans and African Americans had made to U.S. culture. Dunbar’s “Little Brown Baby” and other lyrical poems have uplifted countless young African Americans and have been hailed as inspiration by numerous African American poets, such as Nikki Giovanni. (Strickland 97) Through these dedications to the deceased Paul Laurence Dunbar, Americans black and white have shown the world that they continue to appreciate the skillful and talented writer that he was.