TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In 1909, Arizona Mandated all school children to be segregated by race for the first 8 years of school.
In 1912, Tucson created a segregated school that later grew into the Paul Lawrence Dunbar School in 1918, a building that still stands today.
Through a time of segregation and racial inequality, 85-year-old Barbara Lewis stood side by side with her classmates.
“You knew where you could go and where you couldn't go. You just didn't,” said Lewis.
She attended the school from 1942 to 1950.
“I left before desegregation. It was desegregated in ’51,” said Lewis.
The school was built in a predominately Black neighborhood adding a second building in the ‘40s.
“It's not just a school, it's a whole Dunbar Spring community-- Sugar Hill that were historically black communities around the Dunbar,” said Bryan Haver, the Executive Director of the Dunbar Pavilion.
Lewis said she’ll never forget the teachers who made her learning experience special.
“Even though we were deprived and always underfunded and had their use books after they used them and everything like that-- we had so much, I guess encouragement and comfort,” Lewis said.
At first, the school didn’t have a cafeteria, library, gym or auditorium.
“I think truly, you need to remember what has happened in the past and this is the only brick-and-mortar place in Tucson that has that tie to Black culture,” said Haver.
Under a hallway arch is where the students would perform plays or listen to announcements.
Lewis said her principal had to advocate for the students to have a swamp cooler during the hot summer months.
She remembers being in the school’s choir and performing at different places in Tucson, places the students weren’t always treated fairly.
“The Pioneer hotel-- and they wouldn't- we walked in and they didn't want to let us in the front, so they told us we had to go to the back,” said Lewis.
One of Lewis’ teachers stuck up for the students and refused to walk in through the back.
“This, I always will admire him for. He said no. We won't. We'll go home. We will not stay if we have to do that,” said Lewis. “We walked proudly into the front,” Lewis added.
The school eventually shut down and was later purchased by the Dunbar Pavilion in the ‘90s.
“I'd like for people to know what it was and who was here,” said Lewis.
They’re working on digitizing pictures and writings and creating an artifact museum in the building.
A historical preservation organization is also converting old classrooms into educational Airbnb’s.
The school has stood for more than 100 years and Lewis said she has one goal.
“I would love to see it stand another 100 or more,” Lewis said.
The Dunbar Pavilion will host a Harambee Festival on February 25 and they invite the community to join.
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Faith Abercrombie is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before coming to KGUN, Faith worked as a videographer for the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation and as a reporter and producer on the youth suicide documentary, "Life is..." on Arizona PBS.
Share your story ideas with Faith by emailing faith.abercrombie@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
