Image courtesy of Lincoln University
Written by: Cody Gibbs, Rayne Hughes, and Gabriel Poteat
Lucy Craft Laney and Lorraine Hansberry are two trailblazers who built lasting legacies through creativity, service, and innovation. Both ladies have dorms named in their honor on Lincoln University’s campus. This article will shed more light on why they should be remembered and their significance.
Lucy Craft Laney was a visionary educator and leader who opened doors of opportunity for Black professionals in nursing care at a time when such opportunities barely existed, especially for women, in Augusta, Georgia. In 1883, Laney opened the Haines Institute to educate Black youth and, later, was instrumental in establishing the Lamar School of Nursing and Lamar Hospital as educational and employment options for Black youth. Many women had been denied opportunities within nursing and other areas of care, and this pioneering effort was aimed at providing them with opportunities that they could avail themselves of.
The Haines Institute was an all-black high school in Augusta, Georgia, that Laney founded and operated as principal for forty years. During her tenure, the Haines Institute gained a reputation as one of the premier institutions in the south. Students who graduated from the Haines Institute were vibrant with character,
gifted with words, confident in their abilities, and rooted in the Christian faith. The output of graduates, however, was only possible because of the overhead leadership of Laney and her staff, who poured unwavering belief into their students.
Former president William Howard Taft, after an extended trip in the south, is quoted as saying, “I had seen nothing in the south in the way of efficiency and of self-sacrifice that could compare with the work of Miss Laney at Haines Institute.” Laney’s contributions to education were present in more than Augusta; her impact is felt worldwide due to the impact her students made once graduating.
Laney’s students went on to graduate from notable HBCUs, including Howard, Fisk, Shaw, and, most notably, Lincoln University. Former president of Lincoln, Dr. William Hallock Johnson, wrote a letter admiring Laney for her dedication to education and applauding her for sending so many gifted students to Lincoln
University. Laney’s contributions to Lincoln University were so immense that she was the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Lincoln University in 1901. Since 1967, Lucy Laney Hall has stood as a building on Lincoln’s campus, reminding students of the impact that she left on institutions of higher learning.
Lorraine Hansberry was another trailblazer whose creativity and courage transformed American art and culture. Born in Chicago in 1930, Hansberry grew up in a family that fought against racial segregation, an experience that shaped her passion for justice and equality. She became the first Black woman to have a play produced on Broadway with A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, a work that captured the struggles, hopes, and resilience of a Black family striving for a better life amid racism and discrimination.
Image courtesy of Lincoln University
The play not only challenged stereotypes but also gave voice to the experiences of countless African Americans during a time when such stories were often ignored or misrepresented. Hansberry’s success opened doors for future Black playwrights, actors, and writers, proving that their stories deserved a place on the world’s biggest stages.
In relevance to Lincoln University, Hansberry was a contemporary of Langston Hughes. The title of her famous play, A Raisin in the Sun, is borrowed from a line in Hughes’ poem called Harlem. Hansberry dearly respected Hughes, even writing to him by letter to ask permission to use the line in her play. Lorraine Hansberry Hall has been a dormitory at Lincoln since 1972.
