Historic West Woodlawn
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Place of Pioneers
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A Wonderful Walkable Village
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Historic West Woodlawn ~ Place of Pioneers ~ A Wonderful Walkable Village ~
Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer.[1] She was the first Black American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Hansberry's best-known work, the play A Raisin in the Sun, highlights the lives of Black Americans in Chicago living under racial segregation. The title of the play was taken from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes: "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" At age 29, she won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award – making Hansberry the first Black American dramatist, the fifth woman, and the youngest playwright to do so.[2] Her family had struggled against segregation, challenging a restrictive covenant in the 1940 U.S. Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee.
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Dorothy R. Leavell is the longtime editor and publisher of the Crusader Newspapers (Chicago and Gary), marking 64 years of service.
She began at age 14 after a bet between her aunt and a family friend; was hired at $35/week, trained in accounting, and earned a $100 bonus after updating the paper’s records.
After returning to Chicago post–high school, she worked at the Crusader, later married publisher Balm L. Leavell Jr.; he died after five years of marriage, leaving her to lead the papers, including the Gary Crusader.
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Leavell credits her sustained commitment to the mission of the Black press—informing and empowering Black communities—citing Freedom’s Journal (1827) and historic publishers like Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells. She warns of contemporary rollbacks (e.g., DEI) and stresses the Black press’s role in defending rights and telling accurate, community-centered stories. The Crusader maintains a weekly print edition and a daily digital newsletter, The Pulse; digital reach is growing, but monetization lags, and rapid tech changes (e.g., Microsoft 365 updates) pose challenges.
Leavell met Naomi through the emerging Woodlawn Chamber; she served on its board, acts as registered agent, and supports its community-building mission despite heavy national commitments.
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