Raisin in the Sun Reflection

            Experiencing Raisin in the Sun at Arena Stage, surrounded by my wonderful friends, especially those who are women of color, was a fitting way to leave the Women’s Leadership Program. The strength and soul of the women in the play, projected on a backdrop of adversity, systemic discrimination, and male inadequacy, shone clearly. Pieces of art like that make it easier to appreciate the souls of those around you and to see strength in yourself.

            There is so much to learn from Ruth Younger, who will do whatever it takes to support her family, and in Lena Younger, who laid down the roots for a family without losing sight of herself. But the character who struck me the most was Beneatha, because she is so much like all of us in WLP. She is a hard-working student with serious dreams for the future, but she also dares to be fun, carefree, and daring in a world that would have her be nothing but submissive. She is the star of her own show, and she deserves to be. Beneatha “wants so many things that they are driving [her] kind of crazy.” But like many of us, she sometimes wonders why she’s chosen her specific dream and questions what her future will be. And like many of us, she comes from a family that is doing its best to support her but isn’t always able to do enough. She sometimes feels alone in her path. The most important thing we have in common with Beneatha is that we aren’t alone, even if we feel it. Just as Benny is surrounded by strong women like her mother and sister-in-law, we have sisters to lean on. Without the Women’s Leadership Program, I don’t know who my sisters would have been this year… I might not have had them, or they

might not have been the right people for me.                                                            

What I do know for sure is that the people I met and the lessons I learned this year were exactly what I needed them to be. There will be times when the universe will not be on my side or when my own actions will not be in my favor- Beneatha knows that better than anyone. But there will also be times when I’ll be lucky enough to have the chance to grow, to learn, to lean on the people I love, to love myself. This year gave me all of those chances, and I took them. I have the Women’s Leadership Program to thank for a great deal of that.

Matilda Kreider, WLP IP 2017