Commems Collection Modern: Possible? 119th Congress - #12 - 2028 Paul Laurence Dunbar

Previous "Possible" Story from 118th Congress: 2026 Paul Laurence Dunbar - Possible? #13

Bill(s)

- HR 8227 (Introduced April 9, 2026; Eleanor Holmes Norton (Delegate, D-DC)

Short Title

- Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act

Proposed Year of Issue

- 2028

Purpose

To honor the life and legacy of African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, and to provide financial support to Dunbar High School (Washington, DC).

"Congress finds the following:

(1) Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first influential African-American poets in American literature, writing such classics as "Majors and Minors" and "Lyrics of Lowly Life", and composing the lyrics to "In Dahomey", the first all-African-American musical produced on Broadway;

(2) Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, to freed slaves Joshua and Matilda Murphy Dunbar;

(3) Paul Laurence Dunbar first published a series of poems at age 14 in the Dayton Herald;

(4) in 1893, Paul Laurence Dunbar published a series of poems in a work entitled "Oak and Ivy";

(5) by the late 1890s, Paul Laurence Dunbar had become a prominent author, having had his poems published in such major national newspapers and magazines as The New York Times;

(6) over his career, Paul Laurence Dunbar published more collections of poems, short stories, and novels;

(7) Paul Laurence Dunbar died on February 9, 1906, at 33 years of age;

(8) Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School (hereafter referred to as Dunbar High School) was established in the District of Columbia in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, and was the first public high school for African-American students in the country;

(9) the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth was renamed in 1916 in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar;

(10) the Dunbar Alumni Federation (hereafter in this Act referred to as the "Federation") was organized in 2002 to provide scholarships and other financial support to students and graduates of Dunbar High School;

(11) the Federation promotes and supports scholarship efforts, along with school and community activities;

(12) the Federation leverages the prestige of Dunbar High School and its distinguished alumni to enhance the education of Dunbar High School students;

(13) the Federation promotes Dunbar High School alumni from more than 35 years of graduating classes through their scholarship efforts, community activities, and other endeavors to support Dunbar High School;

(14) the Federation helps finance such student development activities as the Debate Team, the Band, the Ski Team, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and athletics;

(15) the Federation funds faculty, staff, and parent appreciation and development activities; and

(16) the Federation collects and assembles artifacts and memorabilia from alumni for historical and legacy displays to chronicle Dunbar High School's rich history."

Coins

- Up to 50,000 Gold $5 coins
- Up to 400,000 Silver $1 coins
- Up to 750,000 Clad Copper-Nickel $0.50 coins

Surcharges

- $5 coin: $35
- $1 coin: $10
- $0.50 coin: $5

Sponsor/Beneficiary

- The Dunbar Alumni Federation to support its programs.

Comments

This is a re-introduction of a Paul Lawrence Dunbar coin proposal by Delegate Norton - her previous coin proposal was unsuccessful.

From my previous "Possible" post about the Dunbar coin:

Paul Laurence Dunbar is a well-recognized American author/poet and was honored with a 10-cent commemorative stamp in 1975; he has also been the subject of multiple privately-struck commemorative medals. IMO, though a notable figure, I don't see the case for an official US commemorative coin program for Dunbar - especially one that includes a Gold Half Eagle. I would support a US Mint medal, however.

My thoughts on the coin remain the same.

The designs for the coins are to be "emblematic" of Dunbar, with the final selection being made by the Secretary of the Treasury after consulting with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Federation; the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee is to serve in a design review capacity.

Delegate Norton incorporated an interesting twist in her latest Dunbar coin proposal, It is an attempt to remove the coin from competition for a 2028 commemorative coin slot and circumvent the two-commemorative-coins-per-year limitation that is specified in US Code. The bill states:

"This Act shall--

(1) not be subject to section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code; and

(2) not be a "commemorative coin program" for purposes of such section."

A disappointing and disturbing tactic IMO. The annual limitation was put in place to help avoid collector abuse via unlimited coin programs and to support the modern commemorative coin series' long-term viability. Attempting to avoid this is inappropriate and selfish IMO.

Likelihood of Passage?

The House bill currently has no co-sponsors. (Passage appears to be an uphill battle.)

- Per GovTrack: 1% (as of date of this post)


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more Possible? commemorative coin stories, see: Commems Collection.