A lice Childress was born on October 12, 1920, in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew up in Harlem, New York City. She attended New York public schools and later studied at Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study. She has a strong theater background as an actress, director, and playwright, and has authored several plays based on the black American experience, including Trouble in Mind (1955), Wedding Band (1966), and most recently Moms: A Praise Play for a Black Comedienne (1986). In recent years, Childress has also written several novels: A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich and Rainbow Jordan for young adults and A Short Walk (1979) and Many Closets (1987) for adults.

Many of her works have been adapted for film and television, and she has written several screenplays, including one for the film based on her novel A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich. Childress says, "I think in scenes...