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May 19, 1930- Birth of Lorraine Hansberry
Chicago, Illinois -
Moved into an all-white neighborhood
Lorraine Hansberry's family was strong and passionate about justice and equity. Her father founded Lake Street Bank, one of the first banks for African Americans in Chicago, and he worked with the NAACP. Both her parents were prominent members of the community. They challenged Chicago housing sections by moving into a white neighborhood. -
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World War II :(
Major war conflict involving all major countries. It was the most destructive war and millions were killed. "A Rasin in the Sun" play is set in the aftermath of World War II. -
Hansberry vs. Lee Supreme Court Case
The Hansberry family was sued by James Lee, a homeowner in the neighborhood, wanting to evict the family. Her parents filed a lawsuit when the Hansberrys were evicted due to the neighborhood's restrictive covenant. To the Supreme Court, they took their case. They triumphed. In the United States, Hansberry v. Lee (1940) contributed to the legalization of discrimination in housing. -
Attended Englewood HIgh School
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Father Passes Away
He passed away from a Cerebral Hemorrhage when Lorraine was 16. -
Period: to
Cold War- yikes :(
The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as their allies. There was an aggressive arms race, proxy wars, and competition for world dominance. The emergence of nuclear weapons and the fear of communism in the U.S. also caused tension. Lorraine Hansberry was a communist, so she was labeled an enemy and placed on J. Edgar Hoover's Security Index. -
Attended University of Wisconsin-Madison
She studied theatre, politics, and the anti-colonial movement. She even worked on a presidential campaign for a Progressive Party, wrote in favor of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya, and covered the execution of an African American man after a three-minute deliberation by a jury made up entirely of white people. -
Dropped out of college to take courses at New School in New York
Before relocating to New York in 1950 to enroll in classes at the New School, she completed painting studies in Chicago and Mexico. She began contributing to Paul Robeson's Freedom in 1951, a liberal magazine that connected her with other literary and political mentors. She also took classes from W.E.B. DuBois. Due to her relative obscurity, Hansberry was spared the persecution that many of her mentors suffered as a result of becoming Communists. -
Married Robert Nemiroff
Robert Nemiroff was a Jewish writer and he shared many of the same values. However, they were still discriminated against because Interracial marriage was still prohibited in several places at the time Hansberry was married. Hansberry received a public reprimand from Malcolm X over her interracial marriage. Later, he expressed regret for the assault. -
The Ladder publication and anonymous letters
Hansberry contributed to The Ladder, a predominantly lesbian publication, where she wrote about homophobia and feminism. Hansberry anonymously contributed two letters where she said she was a “heterosexually-married lesbian.” -
"A Rasin in the Sun" Book Publication
Raisin was inspired by the experiences of working-class African Americans who attended South Side schools with Hansberry and rented homes from her father. She looked to her own family for ideas for other characters -
"A Rasin in the Sun" Play
The play made history as the first work by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. In 1959, the play earned the best play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle and four Tony Award nominations. Most significantly, Raisin provided African Americans a voice on stage and in the audience by bringing them to the theater. -
"A Rasin in the Sun" movie
After being on Broadway for 19 months, the film came out staring Sydney Poitier. -
Divorce with Robert Nemiroff
Nemiroff remained Hansberry's best friend and closest confidant for the remainder of her life even after their nine-year romance came to an end. Hansberry identified as a lesbian despite being married to a man, but she was not "out" in the conventional sense at the time because homosexuality was against the law in New York City. -
The Sign in Sydney Brunstein’s Window play
Her relationship with Nemiroff served as an inspiration to her. The play covered racial, gender, and sexuality-related topics over the course of 101 performances. -
January 12, 1965- Death of Lorraine Hansberry
She died of pancreatic cancer in New York. -
"To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" Off Broadway play
Nemiroff turned her published and unpublished texts into the Off Broadway play. The script's first draft included several pieces from Hansberry's work, like passages from her essays on art and a scene from A Raisin in the Sun. The phrase "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" is used as the title of the book. It encapsulates the joy and potential of Black experience and skill, which Hansberry depicted in her work and embraced in her life. -
Nina Simone dedicated a song, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black"
After Nina Simone heard a talk from Lorraine Hansberry, she was later inspired to write a song dedicated to her. Even Aretha Franklin covered the song. https://youtu.be/RTGiKYqk0gY -
"To be Young, Gifted, and Black" Adapted by Robert Nemiroff Book
"To Be Young, Gifted, and Black" was a collection of writings, some previously unpublished, by Lorraine Hansberry. Robert Nemiroff edited and published this collection after Hansberry’s death in 1965. Subtitled Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words, the work contains material from her letters, journals, essays, memoirs, and poetry, as well as scenes from her dramas. -
"Les Blancs" play
This was Lorraine's last play she wrote before her death. Robert Nemiroff edited her work, and it went to Broadway. The play is set in an unknown African country during the last days of colonial rule and tells the story of settlers, natives, and an American journalist there. It included cultural African dance and music. -
References
https://www.britannica.com/topic/To-Be-Young-Gifted-and-Black
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lorraine-hansberry
https://secular.org/2022/06/secular-pride-history-lorraine-hansberry/
https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/8-fascinating-facts-about-lorraine-hansberry/
https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/fortitude/item/5502