Lorraine Hansberry was born Black, female, and lesbian on 19 May 1930, on the South Side of Chicago where — despite her family’s middle-class status — poverty, racism, segregation, mob violence, and overcrowding circumscribed her world. She was the youngest by seven years of the four children of Nannie Hansberry, a teacher and ward leader, and Carl Hansberry, a civil rights activist and real estate entrepreneur. Both of Lorraine’s parents were college educated. Her uncle, William Leo Hansberry, was a scholar and lecturer widely known for his contributions to African diaspora studies.
She grew up in a home where guests included Black lawyers, physicians, activists, intellectuals, businessmen, and the famous radical writers Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. From her early years it
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Citation: Potter, Sonia. "Lorraine Hansberry". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 October 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1973, accessed 25 November 2024.]
