Dunbar Elementary School:
On the corner of 2nd Street and Main Avenue is a quaint building that does not call much attention to itself but to those who know, this establishment has quite a story to tell. Established at the turn of the last century, the Dunbar Elementary school has historic importance to the city of Tucson and to the African-American community of the local community. As the school stands today is not how it was when it was first built. In its early years, the school had no gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium, or even a library. As time went on, the school eventually built these key pieces that are commonly associated with schools. For quite some time, the Dunbar no longer functions as a school but it is now used as an arts preservation and cultural center for the local community. However, when it was elementary school, there were a multitude of trials and tribulations that occurred during this time, and hardships that many had to endure. Although the halls are no longer filled with students, the history that carried with them is still not lost.1
To start with, this elementary school was not segregated from before 1909, and once laws had been passed after 1909 the schools became segregated. Arizona passed a law in 1909 that mandated the segregation of schools for children in their first eight years of education The Tucson school district then followed it up with the creation of segregated schools for African American students. This meant that starting in 1913, September 18th, was the first day of segregated classes at the Dunbar. The colored families in the area were resistant to this, and they initially did boycott the sudden change. The parents refused to send their kids for the first two weeks, and then eventually one daily caved and sent their three kids to the elementary. Throughout this time more started to attend, leaving the first year with eleven students. 1
After 1912, the Dunbar Elementary School moved to a larger facility which created the notion that because the school was gaining a bigger campus, the resources should advance with the size as well. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the school still lacked essential spaces for a school. These aspects included but were not limited to, lack of proper cafeteria, library,auditorium, or gymnasium. The lack of these resources meant that the students did not have the ability to participate in certain activities the other neighboring schools had. In other words, these students lacked opportunities because they were people of color but their school lacked basic facilities that could help advance their schooling experience. Despite these racial and financial struggles, the parents, teachers, and students made an effort to ensure that they were getting the best education that they could receive under their circumstances. 1
As the law had stated from 1909, the first eight years of education were spent at the segregated elementary school. If the children wanted to pursue education past the eight years, they had to rely on one another to do so. For example, after classes would end, the older students would stay behind to study and tutor each other and the younger students at times, in an attempt to give themselves more of an opportunity deepen their understanding of a certain topic. Eventually, in 1920, students of color were then allowed to attend Tucson High School. While this was a win for them, it still came with limitations. The high school was still segregated and had restrictions on activities that their students could participate in. For example, there were still restrictions on which bathrooms students of color could use, drinking fountains, and access to school activities. 1
If students wanted to pursue an education after graduating high school, such as the local university, this also came with its limitations as well within Tucson. While African American students could apply and attend these establishments, there were areas they were not allowed in or able to utilize. For example, they were not allowed to live in the dorms or eat in the same dining halls as the white students. These were all restrictions that were incurred with the segregation of schools after the passing of the 1909 law.1
In hopes of remedying the situation and realizing that there had been huge disparities between the different groups, the Tucson school districts in 1951 began voluntarily dismantling the segregation system. As of 1952 the Dunbar elementary school was integrated fully and was forced to be renamed. The history behind the renaming itself is still problematic, but the effort to improve the educational system was in full swing. The school was renamed into John Spring School and has since been renamed to The Dunbar Pavilion, which you can currently find it named today. Although this effort had been made to equalize and improve the education system, it was not a guarantee to equal access towards education.3
As of now, the importance of the Dunbar elementary isn't as well known, and the space itself is left primarily empty. There is an ongoing effort to revive this space and turn it into a community hub that highlights African Americans within Tucson's history. Debi Chess Mabie has been tasked with reviving the area and has been working on its improvements since 2019. Her goal is to open this space to everyone in Tucson while also preserving the history that isn't really discussed. Mabie has also discussed the want to include organizations that support the vision and aid the accessing of education and wealth as well as, economic development and entrepreneurship. There is the want for organizations that want to enhance the art and culture back into the area too. This should be something that the community can continuously check on over the years. For now, this area, The Dunbar Pavillion, only uses around a third of the space there. There is a place to rent out for quinceaneras, and a barbershop academy. 3
Sources:
Describes the early history of the place along with first hand accounts of the students. Includes some of the current day uses as well.
Image Archives.
Discusses importance to community and hopes for its future uses.
