The Dunbar Project at the University of Dayton is a multi-year, interdisciplinary effort to promote the life, works and legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar. It is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project is led by Minnita Daniel-Cox, Ju Shen, and Jennifer Speed.

This archive, spearheaded by Minnita Danniel-Cox, associate professor of music, showcases and preserves Dunbar's literary career by giving public access to the myriad of ways his work has been presented, particularly in the musical arena.

Herbert Woodward Martin, professor emeritus, served as professor of English and poet-in-residence at the University of Dayton for more than three decades. A prolific author in his own right, he has devoted much of his life to giving public performances of Dunbar's work.

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. Born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, he was the son of ex-slaves and classmate to Orville Wright of aviation fame.