Dunbar Community Center was named for poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, born in 1872 to parents freed from slavery. The center was Dunbar High School until 1967, the first Black high school in Kentucky to be admitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Lexington native Lou Johnson attended there before going on to hit the iconic game-winning home run that won the 1965 World Series. Once home to a legendary basketball program led by coach S. T. Roach, the center still hosts youth basketball programs to this day.
It’s the first feature in a month of historical social media postings from Lexington Parks and Rec. Coming up, Martin Luther King Park, Douglass Park, Artworks at the Carver School, and William Wells Brown Community Center will be celebrated with historical photos and quotes.
The city also encourages residents to view the art exhibit “Exposure” at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center through February. The free exhibit celebrates a diverse group of photographers of color in and around the Bluegrass.
