Playwright Lorraine Hansberry inducted into American Poets' Corner at Cathedral of St. John the Divine
NEW YORK -- A Broadway icon received an eternal honor Sunday.
Author, playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry was inducted into the American Poets' Corner inside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights.
In 1959, Hansberry became the first Black female playwright to have a show performed on Broadway.
She was 28 when she wrote "A Raisin in the Sun." The landmark play that still resonates today tells the story of a Chicago family growing up in the middle of segregation.
"Lorraine Hansberry is who we induct today. A brave, brave bright light in this world who, wildly right now, her play is being put on right now at the Public Theater," poet Marie Howe said.
Hansberry now joins other literary giants in the Poets' Corner, including Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, James Baldwin and Ernest Hemingway.