"NEVER BE AFRAID TO SIT AWHILE AND THINK."

Song written by Nina Simone in memory of her friend, Lorraine Hansberry.

“It isn't as if we got up today and said, "What can we do to irritate America?" It's because, since 1619, Negroes have tried every method of communication, of transformation of their situation, from petition to the vote— everything—we've tried it all; there isn't anything that hasn't been exhausted.”

Lorraine Hansberry

By Lorraine Hansberry

Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III

Leonard C. Haas Stage

Company Artists Melanye Finister (Lettie, Skeleton Crew) and Eric Robinson Jr. (Bonez, Mud Row) lead a stellar ensemble in this award-winning classic.

12:30PM

Enjoy refreshments provided by Southbound Barbeque and a musical performance by "Nera."

2:00PM

Enjoy an afternoon performance of

"A Raisin In The Sun."

Following the performance join us for a presentation by Ms. Penny Washington.

Patrons who purchase tickets from the NAACP are invited to attend these special events.

A member of our branch will personally greet you and present your tickets to you. All sales are final.

Tickets $40.00

TICKETS FOR OUR EVENT ARE SOLD OUT!

Sidney Poitier, Lloyd Richard and Ruby Dee reflect on the unprecedented casting of black actors in the Broadway debut of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun."

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Hansberry and her family were involved in the racial justice movements of the era. Her parents were prominent members of the African American community and her father worked for the NAACP.

Lorraine Hansberry, the playwright and civil rights activist who gave new voice to countless marginalized artists who were women, Black and queer.

Hansberry v. Lee: The Supreme Court Case that Influenced the Play “A Raisin in the Sun”

In March of 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, opened on Broadway. The play centers on the story of a Black family who decides to purchase a home in an all-white neighborhood in Chicago. Decades before Hansberry published her play, her family had a similar experience when they attempted to purchase a home in a white neighborhood where homeowners had agreed to a racially restrictive covenant.

Neighbors attempted to enforce the discriminatory agreement, resulting in the Supreme Court case, Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940).In 1937, Lorraine Hansberry’s father, Carl Hansberry, purchased a home in Woodlawn, a white neighborhood in Chicago.

"NEVER BE AFRAID TO SIT AWHILE AND THINK."

Song written by Nina Simone in memory of her friend, Lorraine Hansberry.

ARE YOU READY?

12:30PM

2:00PM

Tickets $40.00