Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in The Sun (1961) Playwright Lorraine Hansberry became the first Black woman to have a play on Broadway when this opened in 1959. She also became the youngest winner of New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. | Old Hollywood

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. She was 29 when she wrote it, becoming the youngest American playwright and only the fifth woman to receive the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

An artist, playwright, activist and the granddaughter of a freed slave, Lorraine Hansberry left an inspiring imprint on the lives of many. Her most well-known work, A Raisin in the Sun, swept Broadway with tremendous success and was followed by a film adaptation that received universal acclaim. Hansberry was also an active participant in the civil rights movement. | Roosevelt University