From 1956 to 1971, the FBI engaged in a series of illegal and covert projects that aimed to surveil, infiltrate, disrupt and discredit American political organizations it deemed subversive.

Called COINTELPRO, a syllabic abbreviation of “Counter Intelligence Program,” these projects targeted civil rights and Black power movements, feminist organizations, environmentalist and animal rights groups, and Mexican-American groups like the Brown Berets and the United Farm Workers of America. The Black Panthers became a primary COINTELPRO target, with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover declaring them “the greatest threat to internal security of the country” in 1968.

The Marxist-Leninist Black power organization called for exemptions for African Americans from the draft, reparations for centuries of exploitation by white people, and the release of all African Americans from jail. They practiced open-carry patrols ostensibly to watch the police, organized social programs like community health clinics and free breakfasts for children, and confronted politicians. The FBI sabotaged them.

Dominique Morisseau contends with this history in “Sunset Baby,” a play about a young woman whose parents were involved in the Black liberation movement.

“[The story] involves an estranged relationship between a daughter and a father. Years have passed, and he’s trying to come back into her life, but of course he has ulterior motives,” says Chayla Simpson, who plays Nina in the Blk Virginia Theatre Alliance’s production that opens at Virginia Rep’s Theatre Gym on April 4. “It’s a story about reconciliation, forgiveness, self-acceptance, self-love and finding your true purpose in life.”

Like much of Morisseau’s work—including “Detroit ’67,” which just closed at the Firehouse Theatre on March 30—the play ties the sweep of history to everyday characters.

Named after [legendary singer] Nina Simone, Nina is a drug dealer and hustler in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York when the show opens. Her father went to prison many years ago for armed robbery. Her mother died more recently after a long decline from addiction.

“Nina is a firecracker,” Simpson says. “Nina is very intellectual. I feel like she is a product of her environment, but even through that, she has so many nuances about her character.”

While Nina has the affections of Damon, her partner in life and crime, she has trouble saying that she loves him.

“She is angry,” Simpson explains. “She is powerful. She is driven. She’s self-serving, self-seeking. And beautiful. And resilient. She’s always looking for an opportunity to elevate herself and change her life circumstances.”

When Nina’s father Kenyatta Shakur suddenly appears at her door, it stirs up resentment.

“He’s a stranger to Nina,” Simpson says. “She grew up super hard and had to figure out things for herself. Not only taking care of herself, but also her sick mother, so her relationship with her father is in no way loving.”

While Kenyatta was in prison, Nina’s mother wrote him love letters that were never sent. Kenyatta has returned to see the letters.

“He was locked up as a political prisoner,” Simpson says. “He was a member of the Black liberation movement, also known as the Black Panther Party, so he spent a lot of time away from his family because he chose the cause, the movement.”

Mu Cuzzo, who plays Damon, says he relates to the characters in the show.

“We have people like this where I come from in our family,” says Cuzzo, who grew up in Petersburg. “People who could have been almost anything they wanted to be, smart, very intelligent, but just didn’t have the resources or the options or didn’t know the choices they could make.”

Though Damon has lived a life of crime, Cuzzo says audiences will be surprised by the nuances of Morisseau’s script.

“He is, for lack of a better word, a thug that is trying to make it up out of the streets and trying to make a better life for himself,” says Cuzzo of his character. “He’s not your stereotypical thug at all.”

Cuzzo lauds the script, saying it bridges cultures.

“It’s dope. This is hip-hop, but it’s still traditional stage theater culture, so it’s something that you have probably never witnessed before,” he says. “With everything going on in our country and people trying to do things like get rid of education, it is stories like this that are going to keep real American history alive.”

Asked why audiences should see the show, Simpson gets poetic.

“This show is magnetic,” she says. “It draws you in. The dialogue is very intense. It will keep you on the end of your seat. There’s moments of tenderness and love. You will also find the joy, the light, the sunshine.”

Blk Virginia Theatre Alliance’s “Sunset Baby” runs April 4-13 at Virginia Rep’s Theatre Gym, 114 W. Broad St. For more information, visit blkvatheatreallianceforyouth.ludus.com.