Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an African-American playwright, essayist, journalist and activist. Hansberry was the first black female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best known work, the play "A Raisin In The Sun".
Hansberry died in New York City of pancreatic cancer on January 12, 1965 at the age of 34. Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Baldwin spoke at her funeral on January 15 in New York.