Nearly 10 years ago, Rachelle Zola was looking for a place to live in Virginia.When she called in response to an ad for a roommate on Craigslist, she received an unexpected greeting.“Hi, I’m Joyce, and I'm Black.”Zola soon learned Joyce Braxton had been contacted by a lot of people interested in sharing her condo, which was in a nice neighborhood. But when they showed up to meet her in person, they immediately walked away when they discovered her race."It's rejection I'm used to in the workplace," Braxton confided to Zola. "It's not rejection I'm used to in my home."Zola will share Joyce and others’ stories in her one-woman show, “Late: A Love Story,” on Saturday at Theatre Y in North Lawndale. In the production, Zola advocates for racial equity by centering the lived experiences of Black Americans, while acknowledging her own missteps as a white woman, now 76.The performance follows Zola’s approximately five-month, 825-mile walk from Chicago to Montgomery, Alabama, to bring awareness to racial injustice.Theatre Y will also host a homecoming celebration for Zola after the show. Related Theater Late A Love Story ‘Late: A Love Story’When: 2 - 5 p.m. Oct. 5Where: Theatre Y, 3611 W. Cermak RoadAdmission: FreeInfo: theatre-y.comThe Late Love Celebration will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. following the performance. “The play is for white people,” said Zola, who grew up on Long Island but now lives in Oak Park. “If we're going to end systemic racism, then we better understand our history. We better understand the lived experiences of people, so that we can change our hearts and policies.”As referenced in the title of her show, Zola became an activist late in life. A special needs educator, Zola joined the Peace Corps at 59 and traveled the world working with children. In 2019, she received what she calls a “powerful knowing” that she was supposed to move to Chicago and engage with the Black community.Though she didn’t know anyone in the city, Zola quickly made connections and started getting involved with local organizations. As she listened to Black people share their experiences with racism, she said she realized how out of touch she’d been. A still from “Late: A Love Story,” Rachelle Zola’s one-woman show about racial equity. Michael Bracey “So many people deem Black people invisible and dismiss them or hate them for the color of their skin,” Zola said. “I wasn't even thinking about Black lives and their lived experience with the depth of the harm and the trauma that they experience every day. And that's not easy to say. It's necessary to say it because if we don't say it out loud, we won't change it.”As part of her activism, Zola went on a 40-day hunger strike in 2021 to advocate for reparations for Black Americans. Subsisting on a liquid diet, she voiced her support for Congress to pass the H.R. 40 bill, which would establish a commission to study the effects of slavery and discrimination, and develop reparation proposals.Later, when she had the idea for the one-woman show, she approached Theatre Y co-founding Artistic Director Melissa Lorraine for assistance.Despite Zola’s lack of experience, Lorraine agreed to direct the play and recruited a writer, Emily Bragg, to help with the script.“[Zola] is just one of these remarkable, attentive, enormous listeners,” Lorraine said. “She's really kind of a miraculous woman. It's been a real privilege to participate in this with her.”Zola performed “Late: A Love Story” at Y Theatre in October 2023 and March 2024 before embarking on her pilgrimage. She chose Montgomery as her destination because of the city’s significance during the Civil Rights Movement.From April to September, she discussed her mission with people she met on the street, and she performed her show at venues along the way.Traveling by RV, Zola would stop each day to walk 10 miles wearing a sign that said, “Ask me why I’m walking.” And she documented her journey on social media.“There were days I didn’t meet anyone,” Zola said. “And there were days that people turned their cars around or stopped and talked to me. … I was so surprised that they listened.” A group accompanies Rachelle Zola on her walk for racial equity in Montgomery, Ala. Charles Williams/Lush Photography Strangers also helped Zola when her driver could no longer continue on the road, and when the RV temporarily broke down. They picked her up and housed her when she was in need.“People kept showing up,” Zola said. “I called them my angels.”Zola said people have responded well to her show, which includes photos and audio of people telling their stories, as well as an audience discussion at the end.“I'm reaching people that already know there's inequity,” Zola said, “but when they come to my play, they say, ‘Wow, I need to do something.’ It's not enough to know you want equity. What's the action?”Lorraine would like audience members to start with relationship building."Making the effort to be in proximity to other cultures, people that you are wanting to engage in advocacy with, just start with a relationship, and the rest follows very organically," she said.Joshua Easter, one of the show's featured storytellers, praised the production."It was great to hear different stories from different people," said Easter, 32, who is co-founder and chief operating officer of A Greater Good Foundation, which serves young people from low-income families."I think that's what makes it so powerful. You hear the voices, you see their faces. It touches your heart. You get to relate to the different stories."Easter first met Zola at a restorative justice conference in Oak Park. Originally from the near west suburbs, Easter spoke to her about his experience growing up and seeing the socioeconomic differences across the Chicago area."She's a great person," Easter said. "She supported my organization. She is just somebody who cares and who I felt was genuine."Zola said she will continue to perform her show."People always say, 'How do you allow yourself to be so vulnerable?'" Zola said. "If I don't want to live in a racist society, do I have a choice? This is who I am. This is what I'm about. I can't imagine not sharing now. I can't go back. I know better, I do better."