Lorraine Hansberry
by George Alex Windish

A playwright's work is visible. Whatever thoughts he or she may have while putting words to paper take on a physical form. It's not like a novelist, who uses the reader's imagination as a potent weapon in getting his point across. A playwright's soul is on display for all to see. 

Nobody realized this more than Lorraine Hansberry. Her name may not be familiar to everyone, but her work should be.

Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago to a middle-class African-American family. Her father was a physician and another relative was a well-respected college professor. Chicago was a hub of political and social activity in her early years, and she became aware of such illustrious entertainers and activists as Paul Robeson and Duke Ellington.

The Hansberry family saw racial intolerance first hand, when they attempted to move into an all white neighborhood. Through incredible determination and courage, both in the courts and on the streets, they managed to stay and prosper in their new home.

Lorraine chronicled urban life for African-Americans in her masterpiece, "A Raisin In The Sun." It tells the story of the workings of an urban black family in the 1950s; of its loves, hopes and dreams. It tells of wishes fulfilled, and dreams shattered. The play was based on her strong family life, and the influence of several organizations she belonged to that promoted social change.

Lorraine went on to write other plays, notably the semi-autobiographical "To Be Young, Gifted & Black."
Tragically, her voice was silenced when she was 35 years old. She died of cancer.

When Lorraine Hansberry was 29 years old, she became the first black playwright, male or female, to win the coveted New York Drama Critic's Circle Award.

George Alex Windish has been writing for many years, and has become a better typist, if nothing else. He has placed nearly a dozen short stories of horror and science fiction, has had a weekly column in a local Baltimore newspaper, and has written for and edited COUNTRY LINE, a small Pennsylvania magazine. He has also done ad copy and correspondence for businesses.  He has long been a fan of genre literature and truly tacky movies, as well as being a collector of vintage records.  Contact him at Imagineer7777@aol.com. 

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