'A Raisin In The Sun' playwright Lorraine Hansberry was born on this day
It was on a Monday - May 19, 1930 on the South Side of Chicago
To honor her, here’s a flashback video from ‘Black Stories We Should All Know’
VIDEO NOTES:
👉🏾LORRAINE HANSBERRY became the FIRST BLACK WOMAN to have a play performed on BROADWAY
👉🏿65 years ago (MARCH 1959) A Raisin In The Sun debuted at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City
👉🏿I loved learning about her friendship with JAMES BALDWIN
✍🏿 Imani Perry wrote a beautiful article about their friendship - she called it an INTELLECTUAL PARTNERSHIP
🩷Her great-niece (TAYE HANSBERRY) got her grandmother’s (LORRAINE’S SISTER - MAMIE) oral history of their childhood
🩷MAMIE HANSBERRY recalled their father buying property in each child’s name and he taught them how to manage their own properties, including making down payments, collecting rent, etc...
🚗Mamie said their outings would involved looking at properties in Chicago
✍🏿All of this was inspiration for Lorraine’s writings
👉🏿LORRAINE kept a professional relationship with her ex-husband ROBERT NEMIROFF - he was her LITERARY EXECUTOR
👉🏿When he married JEWEL GRESHAM together they organized Lorraine’s documented legacy and made it available via THE SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE | The New York Public Library
👉🏿Robert & Jewel had a daughter JOI GRESHAM
👉🏿Joi became the DIRECTOR for the LORRAINE HANSBERRY LITERARY TRUST 🩷
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 my hope is that you SHARE with at least one person, that you decide to Google, or grab a book because you want to learn more about our incredible CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 🌍
👉🏾 sources: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture + The New York Times + New York Public Library + Wikipedia + Ms. Mamie & Taye Hansberry via Lillys YouTube + Forbes + Buzzfeed (Imani Perry) + Ebony + Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust
📸 Friedman-Abeles Studio | New York Public Library + David Attie | Getty + Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust + Ben Martin | Getty + Taye Hansberry
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THAT’S IT Y’ALL - see ya here next Sunday at 3:33p CT
You can message me on Instagram @SallyMcMullin
Hugs & LOVE Y’all,
Sally Mc
James Baldwin (Jimmy) was one of my mentors. He would share stories about Lorraine and him all the time. Sister and Brother. Check this: August 2 is the 100th
anniversary of Jimmy’s birth. Trying to figure out how to celebrate beyond Schomburgh activities. Peace!