The 1959 Chicago based play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry and it’s 2010 spinoff Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris present the audience with two distinctly important representation of Black Women, while exposing legalized housing discrimination in the United States. The methods utilized in each play provide an insight into the multiple perspectives of the characters that mirrors the lives of Black women from 1959 to present. The plays also highlight the history and outcome of housing discrimination. A Raisin in the Sun was radical in its presentation of three compex Black women characters through the lens of race, gender and class that forces the audience to view them as individuals with dreams and aspirations. Hansberry also exposes
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History shows us that the Racially Restrictive Covenant was not the only method by which African-Americans were denied homes around this period of time. There was also a process of housing discrimination known as “redlining,” a method that existed between 1934-1968. “Redlining is the practice of denying or limiting financial services to certain neighborhoods based on racial or ethnic composition without regard to the residents’ qualifications or creditworthiness.” ( _http://www.bostonfairhousing.org/timeline/1934-1968-FHA-Redlining.html) Many financial institutes marked areas that that they would not invest or provide mortgage loans with red lines, which originated the name “redlining.” The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) permitted and participated in legalized and institutionalization of racism and segregation. The FHA supported individuals and companies to discriminate against African Americans and pre-qualified suburban whites as they were considered to be “better credit risks.” In his 2006 book Sundown Towns, James Loewen states that FHA publications imply that different races should not share neighborhoods. The Slum and the Ghetto: Neighborhood Deterioration and Middle-Class Reform, Chicago, 1880–1930. By Thomas Lee Philpott presents evidence of discrimination by “Chicago Real Estate Board, the vigilante methods of neighborhood improvement.” (
History shows us that the Racially Restrictive Covenant was not the only method by which African-Americans were denied homes around this period of time. There was also a process of housing discrimination known as “redlining,” a method that existed between 1934-1968. “Redlining is the practice of denying or limiting financial services to certain neighborhoods based on racial or ethnic composition without regard to the residents’ qualifications or creditworthiness.” ( _http://www.bostonfairhousing.org/timeline/1934-1968-FHA-Redlining.html) Many financial institutes marked areas that that they would not invest or provide mortgage loans with red lines, which originated the name “redlining.” The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) permitted and participated in legalized and institutionalization of racism and segregation. The FHA supported individuals and companies to discriminate against African Americans and pre-qualified suburban whites as they were considered to be “better credit risks.” In his 2006 book Sundown Towns, James Loewen states that FHA publications imply that different races should not share neighborhoods. The Slum and the Ghetto: Neighborhood Deterioration and Middle-Class Reform, Chicago, 1880–1930. By Thomas Lee Philpott presents evidence of discrimination by “Chicago Real Estate Board, the vigilante methods of neighborhood improvement.” (