1. Introduction to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

2. Genre: Play Features Acts & Scenes Act 1.1 = Act 1 Scene 1 WALTER: Something the matter with you this morning? RUTH: No—I'm just sleepy as the devil. What kind of eggs you want? WALTER: Not scrambled (RUTH starts to scramble eggs.) Paper come? (RUTH points impatiently to the rolled up Tribune on the table, and he gets it and spreads it out and vaguely reads the front page.) Set off another bomb yesterday. Narration in italics Dialogue Character names in caps

3. Play Types Comedy Tragedy Everything in between

4. Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)

5. Background 1930: Born in Chicago Granddaughter of a freed slave 1 of 4 kids to real estate broker & teacher 1938: Moved to all-white neighborhood

6. Background Community gets a court order forcing the family to move saying that there is “restrictive agreement” that 500 Chicago property owners agreed to which stated that no part of the 60 th -63 rd streets between Cottager Grove and South Park Avenues (now MLK Drive) could be “sold, leased to, or permitted to be occupied by any person of the colored race.”

7. Housing Inequalities History Jim Crow laws led to the discrimination of racial and ethnic minorities In 1917 Buchanan v Warley made it illegal to deny housing to African Americans BUT, 19 states created “covenants” or agreements between property owners to not rent or sell homes to minorities. In 1968 The Fair Housing Act prohibited housing discrimination practices: Filtering information on availability Racial steering Blockbusting Redlining

8. Hansberry v Lee (1940)

9. Background Activist wrote letters about feminism and homophobia First play produced on Broadway by African American woman First black playwright AND youngest American to win New York Critics’ Circle award Died at 34 of pancreatic cancer

10. Real Life in A Raisin in the Sun Setting: 1950’s southside of Chicago African American family living in segregated community Moving?

11. The Younger Family Mama (Lena)Big Walter RuthWalter LeeBeneatha “Bennie” Travis