A Raisin in the Sun (pdf) is a play by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. The story tells of a Black family’s experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. The play deals with matters of housing discrimination, racism, and assimilation. The New York Drama Critics’ Circle named it the best play of 1959.
Walter and Ruth Younger, their son Travis, along with Walter’s mother Lena (Mama) and Walter’s younger sister Beneatha, live in poverty in a run-down two-bedroom apartment on Chicago’s South Side. Walter is barely making a living as a limousine driver. Though Ruth is content with their lot, Walter is not, and desperately wishes to become wealthy. He plans to invest in a liquor store in partnership with Willy and Bobo, his street-smart acquaintances. Plans go awry and the family deals with theft, deception, racism, and poverty.