Local Ohio U. grads plan event to celebrate Dayton poet

The local chapter of an organization that connects black alumni of Ohio University will host an event that celebrates the life of famous Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

“Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond the Mask,” a documentary film on the life and legacy of Dunbar, will be presented by filmmaker and Ohio University professor Frederick Lewis at the Dunbar House on Oct. 27.

The event is coordinated by the local chapter of Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN), an organization of OU alumni of color.

Two local EBN members, Marilyn Miller-Lewis and Jacqueline Colvard, are organizing the event.

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When Miller-Lewis, a Harrison Twp resident, graduated from Dunbar High School in 1965, she decided to attend OU because “it was such a beautiful campus,” she recalls.

Colvard, a 1967 Roosevelt graduate, chose to be a Bobcat for the same reason.

“Plus, it was away from home, but not too far away,” she noted.

Both said they felt the effects of racism after arriving at the school. Several years later, during Colvard’s years on campus, “we had that same sense of unity,” she said. “There were still racial issues, but our close-knit group got involved with activism and dealt with them in non-violent ways. After a while, the administration listened.

“We got a black studies institute, had black entertainment on campus, and had more African-American staff hired.”

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Miller-Lewis and Colvard returned home after graduation to careers in the Dayton Public Schools but tried to stay in touch with fellow black alumni.

“In the early 1990s, we had a black reunion made up of Bobcats from the ’60s that we could find,” Miller-Lewis said. “There really wasn’t any focus, it was social, but we decided to locate other black alumni and create an organization to do something positive.”

Then, in 2004, Roderick J. McDavis — a Dayton native and Chaminade Julienne and OU graduate — became OU’s first black Ohio president.

“Those of us who’d been in school with him wanted to support his vision,” Miller-Lewis said. “He initiated the Urban Scholar and Appalachian Scholar programs that provided scholarships, and he wanted alumni to be engaged. Out of that grew the Ebony Bobcat Network.”

They helped to found and are active in the Dayton/Cincinnati chapter of EBN, that encourages and financially supports students who might not otherwise select OU.

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“We’ve raised $250,000, which goes through the University Foundation,” said Colvard, the chapter’s event chairperson who lives in the Dayton View Triangle.

“We have about four events a year, and I want things connected. Dunbar was the first African-American poet to receive international recognition; the house was the first African-American state memorial, and ‘Beyond the Mask’ was produced by an OU professor. Also, OU grad Ashley Ferguson will have one of her books on display — ‘Girl, You Are Magic’ — a good book for teens and middle-school girls.”

The Oct. 27 film viewing, plus a tour of the house, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Dunbar House, 219 N. Dunbar St. Cost is $10, and attendees need not be African-American or members of EBN. Email Colvard at jacmorri1949@aol.com to register.

To learn more about Dr. McDavis' vision, or to donate, go to the website at www.ohio.edu/advancement/gift.cfm.

Contact this writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com

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