Lorraine hansberry parents

As a playwright, feminist, and racial justice activist, Hansberry never shied away from tough topics during her short and extraordinary life.

Lorraine hansberry nationality

She was raised in a strong family, the youngest of three children born to Nannie Perry Hansberry and Carl Augustus Hansberry. Her father, Carl, founded Lake Street Bank, one of the first banks for African Americans in Chicago and also ran a successful real estate business. Her mother, Nannie, was a school teacher. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Hansberry and her family were involved in the racial justice movements of the era.

The family hosted W. Their new white neighbors did not welcome the move and a mob gathered around the house. They took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. They won. Hansberry v. Lee helped outlaw legal housing discrimination across the United States.

Lorraine hansberry childhood

While studying, Hansberry became interested in theater, politics, and the global anti-colonial movement. She worked on the presidential campaign for the Progressive Party, wrote in support of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, and covered the case of an African American man executed after an all-white jury deliberated his case for three minutes.

Hansberry left university before completing her degree. She also studied with W. Many of her mentors were attacked for being Communists, but Hansberry escaped this persecution because she was relatively unknown.