Her father, Carl Hansberry was an activist who fought against racial discrimination in housing. The single reached the top 10 of the R&B charts. . . She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Lorraine Hansberry Biography - CliffsNotes Lorraine Hansberry: Lorraine Hansberry was a gifted playwright and creator of the award-winning play A Raisin in the Sun. Image by Eden, Janine and Jim from Wikimedia. Hansberry's classmate Bob Teague remembered her as "the only girl I knew who could whip together a fresh picket sign with her own hands, at a moment's notice, for any cause or occasion". She was brought up alongside three siblings. Dana Hanson-Firestone has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. . Hansberry was associated with very important people. The latter's legal efforts to force the Hansberry family out culminated in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940). After she moved to New York City, Hansberry worked at the Pan-Africanist newspaper Freedom, where she worked with other intellectuals such as Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Lorraine Hansberry, Activist and Playwright | Biography The granddaughter of a freed slave, Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, to a successful real estate broker and a school teacher who resided in Chicago, Illinois. . In the whole world you know Lorraine used the theater to share her views. When Lorraine was seven years old, the family bought a house in a mostly white neighborhood. Leo Hansberry was a prominent figure in the Pan-Africanist movement, and he founded the African Civilization section at Howard University, where he was a professor of African history. Genre Realist drama. Not only did she have a play, but her drama, A. . May 19, 1930 Lorraine Vivian Hansberry is born to Carl Augustus Hansberry, Sr. and Nannie Louise Hansberry in Chicago, Illinois. Born in 1930, Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was the youngest of Carl and Nannie Hansberry's four children. Although the couple separated in 1957 and divorced in 1962, their professional relationship lasted until Hansberry's death. The play was the first one to be produced on Broadway by an African-American woman and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival when its motion picture came out. If the name Lorraine Hansberry doesnt ring a bell, we have some interesting information that may just give you an aha moment. The play was also nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play, and it has since become a classic of American theatre. In 1944, she graduated from Betsy Ross Elementary. She was also a lesbian who kept her sexual preference as classified information, not able to come out during the tumultuous era in which basic human rights were denied on a regular basis, for certain groups of people in society. Holiday House, 1998. A Raisin in the Sun - Mass Market Paperback By Hansberry, Lorraine How would you rate this article? Learn more about Lorraine Hansberry According to historian Fanon Che Wilkins, "Hansberry believed that gaining civil rights in the United States and obtaining independence in colonial Africa were two sides of the same coin that presented similar challenges for Africans on both sides of the Atlantic." [1] She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. . She attended the University of Wisconsin in 194850 and then briefly the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Roosevelt University (Chicago). Her best-known work, the play A Raisin in the Sun, highlights the lives of black Americans in Chicago living under racial segregation. Fast Facts: Lorraine Hansberry Du Bois , poet Langston Hughes, singer, actor, and political activist Paul Robeson, musician Duke Ellington, and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. The play was later renamed A Raisin in the Sun and was a great success at the Ethel Ballymore Theatre, having a total of 530 performances. She later joined Englewood High School. The title of the song refers to the title of Hansberry's autobiography, which Hansberry first coined when speaking to the winners of a creative writing conference on May 1, 1964: "Though it is a thrilling and marvelous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so, doubly dynamic to be young, gifted and black." Clybourne Park Study Guide | Literature Guide | LitCharts Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression. She was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, among the four Tony Awards that the play was nominated for in 1960. Her favorite topics are psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and religion. Lorraine Hansberry was the niece of Leo Hansberry, who was a Pan-Africanist scholar and college professor. It won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the film version of 1961 received a special award at the Cannes festival. At the newspaper, she worked as a "subscription clerk, receptionist, typist, and editorial assistant" besides writing news articles and editorials. Before her death, she built a circle of gay and lesbian friends, took several lovers, vacationed in Provincetown (where she enjoyed, in her words, "a gathering of the clan"), and subscribed to several homophile magazines. She died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 34. Upon his ex-wife's death, Robert Nemiroff donated all of Hansberry's personal and professional effects to the New York Public Library. In 2013, Hansberry was also inducted into the Legacy Walk, making her the first Chicago-native to receive the honour, along with a position in the American Theatre Hall of Fame in the same year. He gathered her unpublished writings and first adapted them into a stage play, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, which ran off Broadway from 1968 to 1969. Time and place written 1950s, New York. According to Baldwin, Hansberry stated: "I am not worried about black men--who have done splendidly, it seems to me, all things considered.But I am very worriedabout the state of the civilization which produced that photograph of the white cop standing on that Negro woman's neck in Birmingham. Over the next two years, Raisin was translated into 35 languages and was being performed all over the world. She moved to New York City and became involved in the arts scene, working as a writer and editor for various publications. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lorraine-Hansberry, BlackHistoryNow - Biography of Lorraine Hansberry, Lorraine Hansberry - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Lorraine Hansberry - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). She wrote about her experiences as a lesbian in her unpublished journals and letters. She tries to rouse her sleeping child and husband, calling out: "Get up!". Both of these talented writers wanted to incorporate themes of race and sexual identity into their stage work, something that was considered quite radical at the time. Fragments of a Life: Lorraine Hansberry | Flowers For Socrates Suggested Posts. In one of her stories, The Anticipation of Eve, Lorraine describes the moment the protagonist Rita is about to see her lover Eve with lush, tender language: I could think only of flowers growing lovely and wild somewhere by the highways, of every lovely melody I had ever heard. In 1973, a musical based on A Raisin in the Sun, entitled Raisin, opened on Broadway, with music by Judd Woldin, lyrics by Robert Brittan, and a book by Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg. How could we improve it? It was previously ruled that African Americans were not allowed to purchase property in the Washington Park subdivision in Chicago, Illinois. She was also the youngest playwright and the first Black winner of the prestigious Drama Critic's Circle Award for Best Play. 519 (1934), had been similar to his situation. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre of San Francisco, which specializes in original stagings and revivals of African-American theatre, is named in her honor. Corrections? Hansberry's ex-husband, Robert Nemiroff, became the executor for several unfinished manuscripts. She held out some hope for male allies of women, writing in an unpublished essay: "If by some miracle women should not ever utter a single protest against their condition there would still exist among men those who could not endure in peace until her liberation had been achieved.". Simone penned the song Young, Gifted and Black in tribute to her good friend, View objects relating to Lorraine Hansberry, Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news. She left behind an unfinished novel and several other plays, including The Drinking Gourd and What Use Are Flowers?, with a range of content, from slavery to a post-apocalyptic future. Goodbye, Mr. Attorney General, she said, and turned and walked out of the room. She is best known for writing "A Raisin in the Sun," the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway. To Be Young, Gifted and Black Tone Realistic. Hansberry was raised in an African-American middle-class family with activist foundations. However, Hansberry only attended university for two years before dropping out and moving to New York City where she went to the New School for Social Research. Her father was brave and daring enough to move his family into an all white neighborhood during tumultuous times. Lorraine Hansberry is best known as the playwright of A Raisin In The Sun, the groundbreaking play about a working class African-American family on the South Side of Chicago that illustrates how the American Dream is limited for Black Americans.The play is widely hailed as one of the greatest-ever achievements in theater. The paper published articles about feminist movements, global anti-colonialist struggles, and domestic activism against Jim Crow laws. The presiding minister, Eugene Callender, recited a message from Baldwin, and also a message from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. that read: "Her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn." Oh, what a lovely precious dream A penetrating psychological study of the personalities and emotional conflicts within a working-class black family in Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun was directed by actor Lloyd Richards, the first African American to direct a play on Broadway since 1907. Later, an FBI reviewer of Raisin in the Sun highlighted its Pan-Africanist themes as "dangerous". Lorraine Hansberry: Biography, Facts & Plays | Study.com A Raisin in the Sun - Wikipedia This penetrating psychological study of a working-class black family on the south side of Chicago in the late 1940s reflected Hansberry's own experiences of racial harassment after her prosperous family moved into a white neighbourhood. Lorraine Hansberry was an African-American playwright, writer and activist who lived from 1930 to 1965. Performers in this pageant included Paul Robeson, his longtime accompanist Lawrence Brown, the multi-discipline artist Asadata Dafora, and numerous others. also named Lorraine Hansberry the Godmother of her daughter, Lisa Simone. Patricia and Fredrick McKissack wrote a children's biography of Hansberry, Young, Black, and Determined, in 1998. Biography. The youngest of four siblings, she was seven years younger than Mamie, her . Hansberry originally wanted to be an artist when she attended the University of Wisconsin, but soon changed her focus to study drama and stage design. Hansberry was the daughter of parents who were also outspoken advocates for civil rights. She is remembered for her first play, A Raisin in the Sun, which opened on Broadway in 1959, just six years before her death - and sometimes for her memoir, which was the inspiration for Nina Simone . She wrote about her love for women and her struggles with her sexuality in personal papers published posthumously. Hansberry was particularly interested in the intersections between race, class, and gender, and she believed that these issues were all interconnected. The fascinating facts about Lorraine Hansberry following illustrate her development as a Black woman, activist, and writer. If people know anything about Lorraine (Perry refers to her as Lorraine throughout the book, explaining why she does so), theyll recall she was the author of A Raisin in the Sun, an award-winning play about a family dealing with issues of race, class, education, and identity in Chicago. Lorraine Hansberrys father, Carl Augustus Hansberry, was involved in the Supreme Court case. Her own familys landmark court case against discriminatory real estate covenants in Chicago would serve as inspiration for her seminal Broadway play, A Raisin in the Sun. 13 Fascinating Facts About Nina Simone | Mental Floss A documentary has been made about her writing, Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain is so taken with Lorraines work that she put together a powerful documentary so people would know who she was and what she stood for. . Lorraine Hansberry - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help As Torchbearer Of Lorraine Hansberry's Rich Repertoire, She Is Helping The success of the hit pop song "Cindy, Oh Cindy", co-authored by Nemiroff, enabled Hansberry to start writing full-time. In the book, readers get bits and pieces of Perry, too, as she describes her journey with Lorraine, detailing her thoughts as both an admirer, and a biographer. Hansberry was born into a Black family and grew up when the civil rights movement could use all the voices it could get. Her mother, Nannie Perry, was a schoolteacher active in the Republican Party. . Lorraine Hansberry was an avid civil rights activist because she understood clearly, that people need a champion in this life. Discuss these differences and how they conflict with one another. Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer on January 12, 1965, aged 34. 2. Due to racial differences, Lorraine and her family faced racism when she was just eight. They must harass, debate, petition, give money to court struggles, sit-in, lie-down, strike, boycott, sing hymns, pray on stepsand shoot from their windows when the racists come cruising through their communities. Du Bois, the Civil Rights activist, author, sociologist, and historian, and Paul Robeson, the musician and actor, were friends of the Hansberry family. One of her first reports covered the Sojourners for Truth and Justice convened in Washington, D.C., by Mary Church Terrell. You think you're accomplishing something in life until you realize that at age 29, playwright Lorraine Hansberry had a play produced on Broadway. 16 queer Black trailblazers who made history - NBC News - Breaking News Previously, she worked as an intern at the UN Refugee Agency and Harvard Common Press. He even took his battle against racially restrictive housing covenants to the Supreme Court, winning a major victory in the landmark case Hansberry v. Lee. Hansberry, sadly passed away when she was in her 30s, but she left her mark on the world, and those who know its value are keeping it alive as a relevant piece of history that deserves a second look. The play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959, and was a great success. . Heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it has since closed. Hansberrys contributions to American theatre and literature have had a lasting impact, and her work continues to be studied and performed today. She reached out to the world through her plays. Lorraine Hansberry - Death, A Raisin in the Sun & Facts - Biography . Risking public censure and process of being outed to the larger community, she joined the Daughters of Bilitis, a lesbian organization, and submitted letters and short stories to queer publications Ladder and ONE. He was known as a race man who sought to make the world a better place for African Americans. There are a million boys and girls Someday perhaps I might hold out my secret in my hand and sing about it to the scornful but if not I would more than survive (86). She underwent two operations, on June 24 and August 2. Kicks. Also in 1963, Hansberry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, Hansberry admired Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex. Lorraine Hansberry Residence - National Park Service Her grandniece is the actress Taye Hansberry. Race & Ethnicity in America 10 Best Books to Read About African History. The late artist also has a school, Lorraine Hansberry Academy, in the Bronx named after her as well as an elementary school in Queen, New York, titled in her honor. It ran for 101 performances on Broadway and closed the night she died. She also had several close relationships with women throughout her life, including a long-term relationship with a woman named Una Mulzac. Who are young, gifted and black Hansberry was appalled by the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which took place while she was in high school. This is her earliest remaining theatrical work. Carl died in 1946 when Lorraine was fifteen years old; "American racism helped kill him," she later said. Lorraine Hansberry Elementary School was located in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. News | National Theatre Conversations with Lorraine Hansberry - Mollie Godfrey 2021-01-15 All mourned her premature death. When Irvine read the lyrics after it was finished, he thought, "I didn't write this. A studio recording by Simone was released as a single and the first live recording on October 26, 1969, was captured on Black Gold (1970). Hansberry wrote two screenplays of Raisin, both of which were rejected as controversial by Columbia Pictures. Lorraine Vivian Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun exploded onto American theater scene on March 11, 1959, with such force that it garnered for the then-unknown black female playwright the Drama Circle Critics Award for 1958-59 in spite of such luminous competition as Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth . That was what formed their bond at the time when Lorraine was developing her own Black, feminist, and queer politics. Despite her being married, Hansberry secretly affirmed her homosexuality in various correspondence and in short stories later discovered in archives. In 1961, the play was made into a movie. . Author, Activist, Artist: 10 Things I Learned Watching 'Lorraine The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honour in the United States, awarded by the President to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of the country, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours. Hansberry's writings also discussed her lesbianism and the oppression of homosexuality.