Community Reads: To Be Young, Gifted and Black

This event is currently SOLD OUT. Please join the waitlist in case reservations open up and join our email list to be the first to learn about future events.

Enjoy dinner and intimate, facilitated group discussions as you explore Lorraine Hansberry’s memoir, To Be Young, Gifted and Black.  

To Be Young, Gifted and Black is a deeply personal invitation into Lorraine Hansberry’s history. From the racism her family encountered during her childhood in Chicago, which later informed A Raisin in the Sun; to her time in New York, during which she became the first Black woman playwright to be produced on Broadway; to her untimely death from cancer in her early thirties, leaving a trailblazing trajectory painfully unfinished, Hansberry’s singular voice guides readers through her journey with care, humor, keen insight, and prescient wisdom. Comprised of plays, essays, letters, drawings, and photographs, To Be Young, Gifted and Black is a comprehensive reflection on what it means to be an artist and a Black woman in America.

August 1, 2024 | Penthouse, The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637) | Dinner and Discussion at 5:30pm | Documentary Screening at 7:00pm

Get Your Copy of To Be Young, Gifted and Black: There are a limited number of free copies of To Be Young, Gifted and Black available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Court Theatre Box Office (5535 S. Ellis Ave.) and the Reva and David Logan Center Keable North Welcome Desk (915 E. 60th St). We recommend calling the Court Box Office at (773) 753-4472 or the Logan Center Box Office at (773) 834-7446 to see if copies are still available. You can also reserve it via the Chicago Public Library or buy a copy at your local bookstore.

This event is part of this year’s Spotlight Reading Series; all programming in the Spotlight Reading Series is free and open to the public. Learn more about the annual series here.

Artwork: to render the infinite by zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o’neal.