American businessman and political activist. In the late 1930's, he bought a house in the South Park subdivision of Chicago, a neighborhood that was restricted to whites. As an African American, this action was met with intense hostility by local residents, which led Hansberry, his wife and four children being forced to vacate their home by the local courts. Hansberry challenged the ruling, which led to the United States Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee (1940), in which he prevailed. While the case did not specifically address the constitutionality of restrictive racial convenants, legal scholars assert that it was a substantive decision that led directly to the Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) case, which did rule that restrictive racial convenants were unconstitutional. The Hansberry family's experience with racial discrimination served as an inspiration for his daughter, Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun.
American businessman and political activist. In the late 1930's, he bought a house in the South Park subdivision of Chicago, a neighborhood that was restricted to whites. As an African American, this action was met with intense hostility by local residents, which led Hansberry, his wife and four children being forced to vacate their home by the local courts. Hansberry challenged the ruling, which led to the United States Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee (1940), in which he prevailed. While the case did not specifically address the constitutionality of restrictive racial convenants, legal scholars assert that it was a substantive decision that led directly to the Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) case, which did rule that restrictive racial convenants were unconstitutional. The Hansberry family's experience with racial discrimination served as an inspiration for his daughter, Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun.
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