(BALTIMORE – October 25, 2025) – Anyone new to Baltimore learns quickly the significance of one’s high school. Here, it’s a badge of honor — the first real decision many of us made before adulthood. It’s also where we first caught a glimpse of what our future could be. Truth is, our record follows us — the academics, the sports, the discipline, and yes, even the missteps.
For me, that story leads to Paul Laurence Dunbar Community High School, where I spent my final two years of high school (1981–1983). My cousin Natalie convinced me: “Come to Dunbar. You’ll love it.” Forty years later, at yesterday’s homecoming, surrounded by generations of Poets, I realized again how right she was.
To be a Poet is to be part of a lineage — one that stretches beyond sports trophies and championship banners. Dunbar, Baltimore’s second Black high school after Frederick Douglass High, stands as a monument of East Baltimore pride. This is a community where everybody knows everybody, and where there’s both a code of conduct and a deep respect for the village that raised us.
Yes, sports are a big part of our story. But so too are the legends who shaped East Baltimore’s proud legacy long before Dunbar was even founded — giants like Frederick Douglass and Isaac Myers, who built Black industry, led labor movements, and redefined freedom through enterprise and self-determination. Their spirit still lives in every corner of East Baltimore.
Ask Clarence “Tiger” Davis, and he’ll remind you of the brilliance that came through Dunbar’s halls — doctors, nurses, scientists, educators, and entrepreneurs, including the great Reginald F. Lewis, one of the most successful businessmen in American history.
That same Eastside lineage runs through Joseph H. Brown Jr. Funeral Home, formerly Joseph Locks Funeral Home, one of East Baltimore’s oldest and most enduring Black family businesses, with roots tracing back to 1835. The legacy of this business stands as a living testament to the strength, faith, and continuity of our community.
For me, Julia B. Woodland was the matriarch of my Dunbar years. When she spoke, it was as if God Himself handed her the microphone. Her words didn’t just inspire — they ignited. And then Dr. Elzee Gladden took the helm. What wisdom he imparted! And much respect to Estella Ingram-Levy, Lynette Woodley, and Coach Bob Wade, some of my favorite people who have consistently encouraged me to this day. And much love to Timmy Green, Muggsy Bogues, Derrick Jones, Greg Branch, Keith Goodie, and Dwayne “Kosher” Wood, who keep the Poet spirit alive and active 24-7!
Now, I won’t over-romanticize it — Dunbar wasn’t perfect. We faced the same trials as everyone else. But what made Dunbar special was the expectation of greatness. Once you walked through those doors, you understood that excellence wasn’t optional — it was tradition.
Dunbar taught us to improve, evolve, and give back — to show up for life with that same championship spirit we learned in those hallways.
So when I see that Poet love at homecoming (SEE PICS)— the hugs, the laughter, the stories — I’m reminded that we’re all still part of something sacred. East Baltimore made us. Dunbar refined us. And the world still knows our name.
#Poets4Life | #DunbarPride | #NewBaltimore | #BMORENews
