A zine inspired by Angelina Weld Grimké's: Rachel: A Play in Three Acts Background Grimké wrote Rachel partially in response to the virulent racism of The Birth of a Nation; the play was first staged in NAACP anti-lynching rallies protesting the film. Grimké hoped that Rachel would educate audiences, particularly white audiences, about the devastating psychological effects of racism as well as the inhumanity of lynching. Published in 1920, the play did indeed have its desired educational effect.