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Lorraine Hansberry Family
Her mother Nannie Louise Perry was a school teacher. Her uncle Leo Hansberry was a college professor. -
Lorraine Hansberry Father
Carl Augustus Hansberry was a real estate broker. He founded one of the first banks for African Americans in Chicago. -
Lorraine Hansberry Birth
Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in her home Chicago Illinois -
Childhood
Lorraine Hansberry was the youngest of four siblings. She had a younger sister and two brothers. She was born into an active family in the African community of Chicago, Illinois. -
Hansberry vs. Lee
When Lorraine was 8 years, her family decided to move to a segregated all-white neighborhood in Woodlawn, Chicago. The neighborhood sued to stop the Hansberry family from moving into the neighborhood based on the neighborhood’s discriminatory covenant. The neighbored would then pick daily on the family driving her father to file a lawsuit. This experience was an inspiration for her most famous play, "A Raisin in the Sun". -
Lorraine Hansberry outcome of the case
They won. Hansberry v. Lee (1940) helped outlaw legal housing discrimination across the United States. -
Education
Lorraine Hansberry graduated from Englewood High School in Chicago. She originally wanted to be an artist when she attended the University of Wisconsin but she found her love for theatre. After two years, she left college for New York to become a writer and pursue her passion for theatre. Throughout school, she was an outspoken Communist and was committed to racial equity. Through this, she met her soon-to-be husband Robert B. Nemoriff. -
Historical Events
During Hansberry's time period, Malcolm X was thriving. He too had a similar goal as Lorraine Hansberry. They were both civil rights activists. But it was rumored that he criticized her interracial marriage. He attended her funeral while he was under threats of assassination and died a month after her death. -
Marriage
She was married to a Jewish writer Robert B. Nemiroff. They met during a protest against racial discrimination at the university. Despite being married she was lesbian, though she could not say because at the time it was illegal to be lesbian and married to a white guy. She did not have any kids. -
Interesting Facts
Lorraine Hansberry made history as the first African American woman to have a show produced on Broadway. She was the first playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award. Her play "A Raisin in the Sun" became a book. -
A Raisin in the Sun- most known for
A Raisin in the Sun is about a family that has just received their father's insurance money. The money is a big deal because one of the family members gets to pursue their dream. They are challenged with wanting better now or wanting better in the future. The family comes to the conclusion to buy a dream home in an all-white neighborhood. When trying to move they face the difficulties of segregation. -
How long did it take her to wright her play?
It took her eight months to write her play. The play was nominated for four Tony Awards, including for best play. She went on and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. -
Inspiration
She was inspired by her own family and the discrimination they faced. through her writing to bring awareness to the housing situation in Chicago. She was inspired by just living in Chicago and the cultural that surrounded it. -
Health issues
Hansberry was 32 when she found out she had pancreatic cancer. Since then she was in and out of the hospitals for two more years until she passed away. She died at age 34. -
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent movement fighting for social justice for African Americans. This movement included Little Rock 9, Rosa Parks, the Freedom writers, and many more. -
How did Lorraine Hansberry die?
Lorraine Hansberry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1963 and died 2 years later at 34 years -
Lorraine Hansberry's Death
Lorraine Hansberry died on January 20, 1965 in New York -
Malcom X assassination
Malcom X was assassinated on February 21, 1965. Malcolm X was assassinated during a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. -
MLK assassination
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN. -
Le Blancs
The play is about the experience of settlers, natives, and an American journalist in an unnamed African country. This play was her last play and it shows the difficulties of colonialism, it uses dance and music to portray African cultures. -
Plays Lorraine Hansberry wrote
It is unclear how many she wrote but she is well known for three of her plays. She left many unfinished because she did die so young. She followed the trend of realism. She portrayed many world struggles like racism, sexism, homophobia and world peace. -
Famous Quotes
"Never be afraid to sit a while and think"
"Write if you will: but write about the world as it is and as you think it ought to be and must be." -
References
1) https://www.chipublib.org/lorraine-hansberry-biography/
2) https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lorraine-hansberry
3) https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/lorraine-hansberry
4) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/books/review-radical-vision-lorraine-hansberry-biography-soyica-diggs-colbert.html
5)https://www.breakingcharacter.com/home/2021/7/26/lorraine-hansberry-in-five-plays