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1930-Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19 in Chicago, Illinois.
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1938- Her family moved into a white neighborhood, which led to violent pushback and eventually the Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee in 1940.
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1946- In high school, she joined the newspaper staff and started showing an interest in writing and social issues.
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1948- Lorraine Hansberry graduated from Englewood High School.
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1950- Lorraine Hansberry left college and moved to New York City. She studied at The New School and started taking writing more seriously.
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1948-1950- Lorraine Hansberry attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she got involved in political and activist groups.
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1951- Took a job with Freedom, a Black newspaper edited by Paul Robeson.
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1952- Lorraine Hansberry traveled to Uruguay as a delegate at the intercontinental Peace Congress.
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1953- Lorraine Married Robert Nemiroff, a songwriter and activist.
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In 1957 she began working on the play that would become A Raisin in the Sun
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In the mid-1950s she continued writing essays and articles on African politics and racial issues.
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1959- A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway on March 11, making history as the first play by a Black women produced there.
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1960- Lorraine Took a trip to Nigeria and Ghana, where she connected with African independence leaders.
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1960- Lorraine's play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, the first Black playwright and youngest ever to do so.
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1961- The movie version of A Raisin in the Sun was released with Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee.
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In 1963 Lorraine learned she had pancreatic cancer but kept writing despite her illness.
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In 1963 Lorraine took part in a meeting with Attorney General Robert Kennedy during the civil rights struggle.
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In 1964- Her second Play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's widow, premiered on Broadway.
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On January 12 1956, Lorraine Hansberry passed away in New York City at just 34 years old.
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1969- To be Young,Gifted and Black, a collection of her writings, was published and turned into a stage play.
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In 1970 Nina Simone released her song to be Young,Gifted and Black as a tribute.
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In 1973 a TV Version of To Be Young,Gifted and Black brought her words to an even wider audience.
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Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
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The Lorraine Hansberry theatre in San Francisco celebrated her lasting impact on the arts.
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PBS aired the documentary Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, telling the full story of her life and career.
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- Biography.com Editors. "lorraine Hansberry biography" https://www.biography.com
- "Lorraine Hansberry". national women's History museum. https://www.womenshistory.org
- "Lorraine Hansberry". https://www.britannica.com