Lorraine Hansberry

The first African American playwright to create a realistic portrayal of African- American urban family life, as well as the first on Broadway She was the first African-American writer, and the youngest American playwright to receive the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for her play (A Raisin in the Sun) She died at age 34 and had completed only two play, with three other uncompleted

Her works dealt with many social issues of the 50s, including: ◦Racism ◦Feminism ◦Gender roles ◦The black family ◦And the pan-African movement She helped to pave the way for other African-Americans who wanted to produce plays

Born in Chicago, Illinois Her father once ran for Congress, and was a respected member of the African American community Her mother was a former school teacher, and was active in politics When she was 8 her family moved into an all white neighborhood She attended a predominantly white public school

Their move into the white neighborhood lead to a legal battle because of something called “Restrictive covenant” that attempted to prohibit African- American families from buying homes This struggle led to the Supreme Court case of Hansberry vs. Lee – they won, and it was ruled that African Americans could not bar African Americans from white neighborhoods

Hansberry attended the University of Wisconsin for two years She became increasingly involved in radical political causes In 1962 she mobilized support for the Student Non-Violent Coordination Committee that was struggling against segregation in the south. She also spoke against the House Un- American Activities Committee and the Cuban missile crisis

Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer on January 12, 1965 Over 600 people attended her funeral Martin Luther King wrote a condolence letter for her funeral