Monday, January 4: Ties from Chicago to Durham

1. We took a trip to the library to renew or check out books for free reading!
2. This week we will start reading A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Some of you will be familiar with this play from middle school, but we’ll be going into a lot of depth with it and coming at the interpretation from a different angle. I gave students a brief history of the play: how Hansberry’s family bought a house in a predominantly white neighborhood, were prevented from moving, and then brought the neighbors to court. The Hansberrys lost, they appealed, lost again, and finally the Supreme Court overturned the ruling. Growing up, Hansberry met many civil rights leaders as a result of this years-long legal proceeding. She based her play on this experience at it was a hit in 1959 when it debuted on Broadway. Because plays always speak to the moment in which they are performed, we began today by starting to think about parallel situations in Durham.
3. Students all received one of the topics listed here: Raisin research topics. Then, using some “quick and dirty” internet research (no citing sources, just getting background information), students filled out this sheet: Research for Key Event in Durham.

HW: If you didn’t finish in class, complete the Research for Key Event in Durham sheet for tomorrow (it’s just the one side).