The Lilly Awards Foundation Launches The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative

When I was in elementary school, I vividly recall doing a report on Lorraine Hansberry in celebration of Black History Month. I remember choosing the acclaimed playwright because I’ve always been intrigued by writers of all kinds. So, researching and writing about the first African American woman to have a play produced on Broadway (“A Raisin in the Sun”), who happened to come from my hometown of Chicago, was beyond rewarding. 

That’s why I’m super excited to share the news that the Lilly Awards Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to celebrate the work of women in the theater and promote gender parity at all levels — announced the launch of the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative, which aims to honor the great American playwright and civil rights leader’s legacy while investing in those following in her footsteps.

The initiative includes a statue of Hansberry that will tour the nation in 2022-2023 to raise public awareness of the full breadth of her work and teachings. The statue, created by the renowned sculptor Alison Saar, is entitled “To Sit Awhile,” and features the figure of Hansberry surrounded by five bronze chairs, each representing a different aspect of her life and work. The life-size chairs are an invitation to the public to do just that: sit with her and think. 

Additionally, the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative has created a scholarship to make sure that the next generation is able to follow in Hansberry’s footsteps, regardless of race, gender, or economic situation. This singular grant will be primarily intended to cover the living expenses of three female and/or non-binary dramatic writers of color entering graduate school, with two additional recipients added each year. Each recipient will receive $25,000 for each year of their education, ensuring that they have protected time to write, work with collaborators, and benefit from the guidance of professional mentors in their respective fields. 

“One can draw a straight line from the issue of real estate and racial discrimination that Hansberry pointed to so clearly in ‘A Raisin in the Sun,’ to the generational wealth gap that is preventing women of color, specifically Black women, from following in her footsteps today,” Julia Jordan, the Lillys executive director said in a statement. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage added, “We know that graduate school is the primary gateway to a career as a dramatic writer. In my twenty years of teaching at the graduate level, I have had only four Black female students. If we want theater to tell the full story of humanity, we need to nurture the full breadth of talent.”

The statue’s tour will include three installations in New York, followed by a national tour of major cities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In each city, the Initiative will work with local theaters and social justice organizations to showcase the work of contemporary writers of color concurrent with the sculpture’s placement.

The full NYC tour stops are as follows:

♦ Times Square: June 9th – 12th (unveiling will take place on June 9th) 

♦ The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: June 13th – 18th

♦ Brooklyn Bridge Park: June 23rd – 29th

Additional supporting NYC events include:

♦ The New Victory Theater will host Speak Up, Act Out: Celebrating Student Voices (Inspired by The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative Dramatic Writing Showcase) on June 9th.

♦ The Museum of the City of New York will present a panel, titled The Playwright as Activist, on June 13th as part of their Freedom Week programming, which will feature a conversation between playwrights Lynn Nottage, Lisa Kron, and Erika Dickerson-Despenza.

♦ The Drama Book Shop will be dedicating their display space for the month of June to works by and about Hansberry and contemporary writers of color.

Following the NYC installations, the tour will stop in cities across the country, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. As the birthplace of Hansberry and the setting of “A Raisin in the Sun,” Chicago will enjoy an enhanced and permanent installation in 2023.

This is an amazing initiative for Black female writers and individuals who appreciate Hansberry’s cultural impact.  I can’t wait to see the statue and attend some of the activations and events taking place in New York City.

To learn more about the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative, please click here. 

I saw the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun” back in 2004. Have you ever seen the play or watched the film adaptation?