BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History - Hansberry's "A Raisin In The Sun"

Lorraine Hansberry

On March 11, 1959, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun, Opened At The Ethel Barrymore Theater In New York, City With Sidney Poitier And Claudia McNeil In The Lead Roles.

A Raisin In The Sun Ran For 530 Performances, Becoming The Longest Running Broadway Play Written By A Black American. It Was Also The First Broadway Drama Written And Directed By A Black Woman.

The Play Won The New York Drama Critic's Award For Best Play Of 1959. Hansberry, 29 At The Time, Was The Youngest Playwright To Win The Award, As Well As The First Black American.

The Title Of Hnasberry's Classic Stage Production Came From The Langston Hughes Poem, "Harlem."

It Reads: "What Happens To A Dream Deferred. Does It Dry Up Like A Raisin In The Sun?"

In 1963, A Raisin In The Sun Was Made Into A Movie --- Again Starring Claudia McNeil, And Sidney Poitier As Walter Younger. An Updated Version Was Also Made For Television In 2008. It Starred Sean Combs And Felicia Rashad In The Lead Roles.

Lorraine Hansberry's Career Was Cut Short When She Died Of Cancer In 1965. She Was Only 34 Years Old.

A Powerful Scene From "A Raisen In The Sun"





"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

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