Check out a rec ent profile on Brittany Packnett Cunningham from Dec. 2022 in InClub Magaz ine with your DC Public Library Card. In the article she talks about her l ife\, her work and her shift from education and policy into compelling med ia that motivates people to action.
\nClick the image on the left to access the magazine. \;
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In this first scholarly biogra phy of Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)\, the author of A Raisin in the Sun\, theater professor Soyica Colbert considers the playwright's lif e at the intersection of art and politics\, with the theater operating as a 'rehearsal room for [her] political and intellectual work.' Colbert argu es that the success of Raisin overshadows Hansberry's other contributions\ , including the writer's innovative journalism and lesser-known plays touc hing on controversial issues such as slavery\, interracial communities\, a nd Black freedom movements. Colbert also details Hansberry's unique involv ement in the Black freedom struggles during the Cold War and the early civ il rights movement\, in order to paint a full portrait of her life and imp act. Drawing from Hansberry's papers\, speeches\, and interviews\, this bo ok presents its subject as both a playwright and a political activist. It also reveals a new perspective on the roles of Black women in mid-twentiet h-century political movements.
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Brittany Packnett
Cunningham is a social justice activist\, educator and writer. Leading at
the intersection of culture and justice\, she builds platforms to activat
e everyday people to take transformative action for justice. She is an NBC
News and MSNBC contributor and host of UNDISTRACTED\, an intersectional n
ews and social justice podcast. She is the former co-host of iHeart Radio&
rsquo\;s Best Political Podcast of 2019\, Pod Save The People. She is the
founder and principal of Love &\; Power Works\, a full-service social i
mpact and equity agency.
Soyica Diggs Colbert is the Idol Family Professor of
African American Studies and Performing Arts at Georgetown University. Co
lbert&rsquo\;s most recent book\, \;Radical Vision\, \;a &ldquo\;l
oving\, lavishly detailed&rdquo\; (New York Times) and captivating portrai
t of Lorraine Hansberry&rsquo\;s life\, art\, and political activism&mdash
\;one of \;O Magazine's best books of April 2021 is also described as
"A devoted and deeply felt account of the development of an artist&rsquo\;
s mind\," according to Dave Itzkoff\, \;New York Times Book Review. In
this acclaimed biography of Lorraine Hansberry\, Colbert narrates a life
at the intersection of art and politics\, arguing that for Hansberry the t
heater operated as a rehearsal room for her political and intellectual wor
k. She has held fellowships from the \;National Endowment for the Huma
nities to support a residency at the \;Schomburg Center\, Woodrow Wils
on Foundation\, Stanford University\, Mellon Foundation\, and the Robert W
. Woodruff Library at Emory University. \;Colbert has also lectured na
tionally and internationally at universities\, high schools\, and middle s
chools as well as for civic and arts organizations. Colbert&rsquo\;s writi
ng has been featured in the \;The New York Times\, \;Washington Po
st\, \;Public Books\, \;Metrograph \;and \;American Theatr
e. \;She has been interviewed on \;NPR \;and commented for the
\;New York Times\, \;USA Today\, CNN\, \;and the \;Washin
gton Post. She is an Associate Director at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
in Washington\, D.C. In addition to \;Radical Vision\, Colbert is the
author of \;Bodies: Theory for Theatre Studies\, \;Black Movement
s: Performance and Cultural Politics\, and \;The African American Thea
trical Body. Colbert co-edited \;Race and Performance After Repetition
\;and \;The Psychic Hold of Slavery. \;Most recently\, she se
rved as a Creative Content Producer for The Public Theatre&rsquo\;s audio
play\, \;shadow/land. \;Her research interests span the 19th-21st&
nbsp\;centuries\, from Harriet Tubman to Beyoncé\;\, and from poetic
s to performance.