Quote by Lorraine Hansberry: “One cannot live with the conscience of a Negro and be a conservative.”

Hansberry argues that the deep historical and present-day experiences of Black people naturally lead to progressive viewpoints. She suggests that these experiences make it impossible for a conscious Black person to align with conservative ideas.

During the 1960s, as Black Americans intensified their fight for civil rights, political ideologies were sharply divided. Hansberry articulated a prevalent sentiment that the historical and ongoing oppression of Black people inherently necessitated a progressive, rather than conservative, political stance.

American playwright and activist, the first Black woman to have a play performed on Broadway with A Raisin in the Sun in 1959. Her essays and letters reveal a radical political thinker whose influence on African American cultural life extended well beyond theatre.