The Rachel Project
This fall, there will be a reading of Rachel, by Angelina Weld Grimké. This was the first play by an African American woman ever to be produced anywhere. It was commissioned by the NAACP and produced in Washington, DC in 1916. Grimké was a lesbian author, one of the very few from the 19th century to be documented. She brings a surprisingly contemporary lesbian and feminist perspective to her subject.
The play was radical in several respects: It was focused on the experiences of Black women confronting racism and the harms from it. It features seven children onstage, six of whom are very young. The play's protagonist, Rachel, is a young woman on the verge of marriage, and she is becomes increasingly aware of the horrific impact of racism on children. In the end, she decides that she cannot bring children into such a violent and unjust world, and she rejects the offer of marriage.
The themes of the play are timely, and, as this is the centennial of the play's first production, it is an appropriate time to celebrate this courageous and visionary African American playwright.