HUSL Today Salutes

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born May 19, 1930 in Chicago and raised in a middle-class family. When she was 7 or 8 her family moved to a restricted white neighborhood which was against the law at that time. The Hansberrys had to go to court in order to remain in their home which was vandalized on several occasions.

The production of her play, A Raisin in the Sun catapulted Hansberry into the forefront of the theatre world. She was named most promising playwright of the season by Variety's poll of New York Drama Critics.

The title of the play is based on a line in the Langston Hughes Poem Dream Deferred-What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Upon receiving that year's Drama Desk Award, Lorraine Hansberry became the youngest person and the first African-American to win that distinguished honor. In 1961 the film version of the play, starring Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee opened; Hansberry won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Screen Writer's Guild Award for her screenplay.

A second television adaptation of the play aired in 1989 starring Danny Glover, Esther Rolle, and Kim Yancey.

Check out the original version of the movie:

Check out the trailor for the updated version of the movie starring Sean Combs:

A Raisin in the Sun was chosen as one of the 100 most significant works of the twentieth century in a National Theatre poll of playwrights, actors, directors, journalists, and other theatre professionals. A Raisin in the Sun became the first play by an African American woman produced on Broadway and its revival has been critically acclaimed.

HUSL Today Salutes Lorraine Vivian Hansberry!

Out the door...inspirational quote to start your day

Good Morning friends! I hope your weekend was restful and productive. Here is your "out the door" quote to get you started on a positive note today.

"There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing. Have you cried for that boy today? I don't mean for yourself and for the family 'cause we lost the money. I mean for him; what he's been through and what it done to him. Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most; when they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain't through learning -- because that ain't the time at all. It's when he's at his lowest and can't believe in hisself 'cause the world done whipped him so. When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is."

-From A Raisin in the Sun

This quote reminds me that people do not need our love in good times as much as they need love and understanding in tough times. When someone is going through a difficult situation, do not look at them with anger and anguish, instead look at them with love because they need it. If you're dealing with a difficult person and you're unsure of how to treat them, remember to base your evaluation on all the things (the good & especially the bad) he/she has been through before you make your judgment about how to love them.

Share your interpretations of today's quote in the comment section. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.