"Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson"(July 19,1875-September 18,1935)

Was an American poet,journalist,and political activists.Among the first generation born free in the South after the Civil War,Alice was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance.Her first husband was the poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar the poet.He noticed her picture and one of her poems in the Boston Monthly Review in 1895,and was instantly infatuated.They began a two year correspondence and finally met in February 1897.They were married on March 6,1898 in New York City,New York and moved to Washington,D.C.The marriage initiated a tumultuous relationship and they separated in 1902.As husband and wife they shared literacy pursuits and celebrity status in Washington,but their life together was marred by Lawrence physically abusive treatment of Alice.In one incident she was sent to a Washington D.C. hospital where she nearly died after attack.She left him, and moved to Delaware.Shen then moved to Wilmington,Delaware and taught at Howard High School for more than a decade.In 1910,she married Henry Arthur Callis,a prominent physician and professor at Howard University,they ended up divorce.From 1913-1914,Alice was coeditor and writer for the A.M.E. Review,an influential church publication by the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).In 1916 she married the poet and civil rights activist Robert J.Nelson.Alice joined him in becoming active in politics in Wilmington and the region.They stayed together for the rest of their lives.From 1920,she coedited the Wilmington Advocate,a progressive African American newspaper.Alice also published The Dunbar Speaker and Entertainer,a literary anthology for an African American audience.
She was an activist for African Americans and women rights,especially during the 1920s& 30s.While continued to write stores and poetry,she became
more political active in Wilmington,and put more effort into numerous articles and journalism on leading topics.In 1915, she was field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States for the
woman's suffrage movement.In 1918,she was field representative for the Woman's Committee of the Council of Defense.In 1924,Alice campaigned for the passage of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill,but the Southern Democratic block in Congress defeated it.From about 1920 on,she made a commitment to journalism and was highly successful columnist,with articles,essays and reviews appearing as well in newspapers,magazines,and academic journals.
She was a popular speaker and had active schedule of lectures through these years.Her journalism career began with a rocky start.During the late 19th century,it was still unusual for women to work outside of the home,let alone
an African-American woman,and the journalism business was a hostile,male-dominated field.
In her diary,she spoke about the tribulations associated with the profession of journalism-"Damn bad luck i have with pen.Some fate has decreed i shall never make money by it" (Diary 366).She discusses being denied pay for articles and issues she had receiving proper recognition for her work.
Alice moved from Delaware to Philadelphia in 1932 with Henry,when he joined the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission.During this time,her health was in decline and she died from a heart aliment.Alice was made an honorary member of Delta Signma theta sorority.Her papers were collected by the University of Delaware.