This Day in Black History: Lorraine Hansberry is Born

From the African American Registry

Lorraine Hansberry was born on this date in 1930. She was an African-American writer and activist for equal rights for Blacks.

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born in Chicago, the daughter of Nannie Perry Hansberry and Carl A. Hansberry, both active proponents of civil rights. Hansberry’s father worked with the NAACP and the Urban League to challenge segregation. and he ran for Congress through his His attempt to break down the barriers of racism continued in the political arena when he ran for Congress.

Lorraine graduated from high school and then attended the University of Wisconsin, but left after two years, in 1950, to move to New York City. She became an associate editor in the New York City based newspaper, Freedom, a radical black paper founded by Paul Robeson.

In 1953, she married Jewish writer Robert Nemiroff, a songwriter and music publisher, and resigned from her position at the newspaper.

Hansberry wrote many articles and essays on racism, homophobia, world peace, and other social issues, but she was a playwright and best known for her play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” which was made into a motion picture in 1961.

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