Alice Dunbar Nelson
Alice Dunbar Nelson was an American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first generation of African Americans born free in the Southern United States after the end of the American Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance. She gained recognition for her poetry, short stories, and essays that explored themes of race, gender, and respectability; for her journalism and newspaper columns advocating for Black women’s rights and anti-lynching legislation; and for her editorial work on two influential anthologies that highlighted African American literature.
Early life and background
Alice Ruth Moore was born on July 19, 1875, in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a family with a complex racial and ethnic background. Her mother, Patricia Wright, was a formerly enslaved woman, and Alice’s upbringing in the South during the post-Reconstruction era had a significant influence on her later works. Growing up in a city with a history of mixed-race relationships, Alice’s identity as both Black and Creole shaped her perspectives on race, identity, and social norms, themes she would later explore in her writing.Personal life
Moore graduated from the teaching program at Straight University in 1892 following years of exceptional academic performance and showcasing her musical talent by playing the piano, mandolin, and cello. As a 17-year-old college graduate she worked as a teacher in the public school system of New Orleans at Old Marigny Elementary. Nelson lived in New Orleans for twenty-one years.In 1895, The Monthly Review published Alice Dunbar Nelson's first collection of short stories and poems, Violets and Other Tales. Although her first collection received criticism, she remained committed to succeed as a writer.Striving for a career in writing Moore moved to Boston in the late 1890s. In 1897 after moving to New York City. she co-founded and taught at the White Rose Mission in Manhattan's San Juan Hill neighborhood, beginning a correspondence with the poet and journalist Paul Laurence Dunbar. Alice Dunbar Nelson's work in The ''Woman's Era captured Paul Laurence Dunbar's attention. On April 17, 1895, Paul Laurence Dunbar sent Alice a letter of introduction, which was the first of many letters that the two exchanged. In their letters, Paul asked Alice about her interest in the race question. She responded that she thought of her characters as "simple human beings," and believed that many writers focused on race too closely. Although her later race-focused writings would dispute this fact, Alice's opinion on the race problem contradicted Paul Laurence's. Despite contradictory opinions about the representation of race in literature, the two continued to communicate romantically through their letters.
Their correspondence revealed tensions about the sexual freedoms of men and women. Before their marriage, Paul told Alice that she kept him from "yielding to temptations," a reference to sexual liaisons. In a letter from March 6, 1896, Paul may have attempted to instigate jealousy in Alice by talking about a woman he had met in Paris. However, Alice failed to respond to these attempts and continued to maintain an emotional distance from Paul. In 1898, after corresponding for a few years, Alice moved to Washington, D.C. to join Paul Laurence Dunbar and they secretly eloped in 1898. Their relationship, as documented in their letters, reflected both deep affection and significant emotional strain. Dunbar-Nelson often found herself navigating the tension between her intellectual independence and the expectations placed on her as a wife, particularly as a Black woman in the late 19th century. Paul Laurence Dunbar’s struggles with alcoholism, depression, and possessiveness contributed to the deterioration of their marriage. Their correspondence offers insight into the emotional and social pressures that shaped their union and its eventual breakdown. Prior to their marriage, Paul raped Alice, which he later blamed on his alcoholism. Alice eventually forgave him for this behavior. However, their relationship characterized by many instances of physical abuse by Paul which was public knowledge. In a later message to Dunbar's earliest biographer, Alice said, "He came home one night in a beastly condition. I went to him to help him to bed—and he behaved as your informant said, disgracefully." She also claimed to have been "ill for weeks with peritonitis brought on by his kicks." In 1902, after he nearly beat her to death, she left him. There is evidence that Dunbar-Nelson’s close relationships with women, including her emotional and romantic connections, may have contributed to tensions in their marriage.They never resumed companionate living, but also never divorced before Paul Dunbar's death in 1906.
After Paul Dunbar's death, Dunbar-Nelson formed a significant relationship with Edwina Kruse, an educator and fellow advocate for African American rights. This relationship, while not widely documented, influenced Dunbar-Nelson’s later writing and intellectual engagement. In her unpublished novel This Lofty Oak, Dunbar-Nelson explored themes of love, respectability, and identity, which were informed by her personal experiences.
In 1902, after leaving Paul Dunbar, Alice moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where she rebuilt her personal and professional life. She began teaching at Howard High School, a role she would hold for over a decade. During this period, she also taught summer sessions at State College for Colored Students and the Hampton Institute. In 1907, she took a leave of absence from her Wilmington teaching position and enrolled at Cornell University, returning to Wilmington in 1908.
In 1910, she married Henry A. Callis, a prominent physician and professor at Howard University, but this marriage ended in divorce.
In 1916, she married the poet and civil rights activist Robert J. Nelson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She worked with him to publish the play Masterpieces of Negro Experience'', which was only shown once at Howard High School in Wilmington. She joined him in becoming active in local and regional politics. They stayed together for the rest of their lives.
In 1930, Nelson traveled throughout the country lecturing, covering thousands of miles and presenting at thirty-seven educational institutions. Nelson also spoke at YWCAs, YMCAs, and churches, and frequently at Wesley Union African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Harrisburg. Her achievements were documented by Friends Service Committee Newsletter.
Early activism
Her early activism focused on empowering Black women through education, journalism, and civic engagement. In 1894, she became a charter member of the Phillis Wheatley Club in New Orleans, contributing her writing skills. She worked with the Woman's Era Club's monthly newspaper, The Woman's Era. Targeting refined and educated women, it was the first newspaper for and by African American women. Alice's work with the paper marked the beginning of her career as a journalist and an activist.Dunbar-Nelson was an activist for African Americans' and women's rights, especially during the 1920s and 1930s. While she continued to write stories and poetry, she became more politically active in Wilmington, and put more effort into journalism on leading topics. In 1914, she co-founded the Equal Suffrage Study Club, and in 1915, she was a field organizer for the Middle Atlantic states for the women's suffrage movement. In 1918, she was field representative for the Woman's Committee of the Council of Defense. In 1924, Dunbar-Nelson campaigned for the passage of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, but the Southern Democratic block in Congress defeated it. During this time, Dunbar-Nelson worked in various ways to foster political change. It is said, "She stayed very active in the NAACP; she cofounded a much-needed reform school in Delaware for African American girls; she worked for the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee; she spoke at rallies against the sentencing of the Scottsboro defendants."
Journalism work and continued activism
From 1913 to 1914, Dunbar-Nelson was co-editor and writer for the A.M.E. Church Review, an influential church publication produced by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1920, she coedited the Wilmington Advocate, a progressive black newspaper. She also published The Dunbar Speaker and Entertainer, a literary anthology for a black audience.Alice Dunbar-Nelson supported American involvement in World War I; she saw the war as a means to ending racial violence in America. She organized events to encourage other African Americans to support the war. She referenced the war in a number of her works. In her 1918 poem "I Sit and Sew," Nelson writes from the perspective of a woman who feels suppressed from engaging directly with the war effort. Because she was not able to enlist in the war herself, Nelson wrote propagandistic pieces such as Mine Eyes Have Seen, a play that encouraged African American men to enlist in the army. These works display Nelson's belief that racial equality could be achieved through military service and sacrificing one's self to their nation.
From about 1920 on, Dunbar-Nelson was a successful columnist, with her articles, essays and reviews appearing in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. She was a popular speaker and had an active schedule of lectures through these years. Her journalism career had a rocky beginning. During the late 19th century, it was unusual for women to work outside of the home, let alone an African American woman, and journalism was a hostile, male-dominated field. In her diary, she spoke about the tribulations associated with the profession: "Damn bad luck I have with my pen. Some fate has decreed I shall never make money by it". She discusses being denied pay for her articles and issues she had with receiving proper recognition for her work. Beyond her published essays and columns, Dunbar-Nelson used journalism as a form of advocacy. Her writings addressed racial violence, gender inequality, and educational injustice, particularly targeting issues affecting Black women. She was known for strategically using public platforms to challenge respectability politics and elevate the voices of African American women in political debates. Her ‘As In A Looking Glass’ column in the Washington Eagle frequently blended personal narrative with social critique, offering commentary on everything from anti-lynching campaigns to working-class labor conditions. In 1920, Nelson was removed from teaching at Howard High School for attending Social Justice Day on October 1 against the will of Principal Ray Wooten. Wooten states that Nelson was removed for "political activity" and incompatibility. Despite the backing of the Board of Education's Conwell Banton, who opposed Nelson's firing, Nelson decided not to return to Howard High School. In 1928, Nelson became Executive Secretary of the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee. In 1928, Nelson also spoke on The American Negro Labor Congress Forum in Philadelphia. Nelson's topic was Inter-Racial Peace and its Relation to Labor. In her role as Executive Secretary of the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee, Dunbar-Nelson organized forums and speaking tours promoting racial reconciliation, labor rights, and women's civic engagement. She often addressed interracial audiences, pushing for cooperative labor organizing and education reform. Her work bridged movements for racial justice and labor equity, reflecting her belief that peace and economic justice were interconnected. Dunbar-Nelson also wrote for the Washington Eagle, contributing "As In A Looking Glass" columns from 1926 to 1930.