MOTD: Jun 06, 2022

Off With Their Heads | Hand In Glove, 2022, Chromogenic print. The artist (Genevieve Gaignard) poses for the artwork.
MOTD
Today's #StrangeFruitMOTD comes from Genevieve Gaignard's solo exhibition, "Strange Fruit," for Los Angeles Vielmetter, "a collection of pieces which agitate against the historical and modern-day... Read More

MOTD: May 26, 2022

Tonya Pinkins performing "Strange Fruit, Revisited" in a recording studio behind the microphone
MOTD
Today's #StrangeFruitMOTD is a haunting reimagining of Abel Meeropol's anti-lynching song, "Strange Fruit." Tony award winner Tonya Pinkins delivers a powerful performance of "Strange Fruit,... Read More

MOTD: May 16, 2022

Tank and the Bangas performing. A close-up of lead singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball at the microphone.
MOTD
Today's #StrangeFruitMOTD comes from Tank and The Bangas' song, “Stolen Fruit,” which they released ahead of their latest album, "Red Balloon." The song is a commentary on slavery in the U.S. and... Read More

MOTD: Apr 21, 2022

The violinist Jennifer Koh and the bass-baritone Davóne Tines, who collaborated on the performance project “Everything Rises,” pose together for a photo. Koh stands to the left of frame with her arms on her hips, and Tines stands neutrally on the right facing center.
MOTD
#StrangeFruitMOTD: Violinist Jennifer Koh and singer Davóne Tines recently premiered their collaboration, a multimedia show “Everything Rises,” which is "an hourlong work that [the pair] have been... Read More

MOTD: Apr 20, 2022

Screenshot of the Youtube video recording of "Robert Meeropol & Anne Sebba talk about her book 'Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy'" for "Issues that Matter with Cynthia." The thumbnail image is of Anne Sebba smiling, mid-interview.
MOTD
For today's #RosenbergMOTD, we are delighted to share this excellent recorded interview from yesterday's "Issues that Matter with Cynthia," which featured RFC Founder Robert Meeropol (Ethel Rosenberg... Read More

MOTD: Apr 14, 2022

Portland Press Herald's logo (dark orange background with white letter P in gothic-style font).
MOTD
This Rosenberg Mention of the Day comes from a recent letter to the editor comparing charges faced by the Rosenbergs and the *lack* of accountability facing certain right-wing leadership in recent... Read More

MOTD: Apr 07, 2022

Douglas Mills Jr. stands for his audition in Austin, TX for American Idol against a brightly lit stage with the show's logo.Today's #StrangeFruitMOTD comes from Austin, TX where a Houston native high school student, Douglas Mills, Jr. auditioned for this season of American Idol with a powerful rendition of "Strange Fruit." The song, written by Abel Meeropol and made famous by Billie Holiday, protests lynchings of Black Americans and is a staple of the civil rights movement. The emotio (ABC/Eric McCandless)
MOTD
Today's #StrangeFruitMOTD comes from Austin, TX where a Houston native high school student, Douglas Mills, Jr. auditioned for this season of American Idol with a powerful rendition of "Strange Fruit...

MOTD: Apr 05, 2022

Black and white photo of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg sitting in together in a park. Ethel's arms rest on Julius' shoulders.
MOTD
On this day, April 5, 1951, Federal Judge Irving R. Kaufman sentenced Ethel and Julius Rosenberg to death, one week after a jury convicted them of conspiracy to commit espionage.

MOTD: Apr 04, 2022

Andra Day as Billie Holiday in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday." Credit: Takashi Seida
MOTD
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: Congratulations to the hugely talented Andra Day for her Grammy win last night for "United States vs. Billie Holiday" in the "best compilation soundtrack for visual... Read More

MOTD: Apr 01, 2022

Black and white photo of Nina Simone smiling, close-up on her face.
MOTD
Today’s #StrangeFruitMOTD is a haunting, a cappella rendition of Nina Simone's cover of the protest song originally made famous by Billie Holiday – "Strange Fruit." The stripped-down track allows the... Read More

MOTD: Mar 29, 2022

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg prison visit, separated by mesh wire fencing.
MOTD
On this day: March 29, 1951 Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage.

MOTD: Mar 14, 2022

Iconic Uptown Charlotte "Strange Fruit" mural, at Spirit Square near the corner of North Tryon and East 7th Streets in Uptown.
MOTD
This #StrangeFruitMOTD highlights “Dammit Wesley,” a visual artist from Charlotte, NC. “One of his most iconic murals ... named ‘Strange Fruit’ is a nod to the words from the songs [popularized] by... Read More

MOTD: Mar 11, 2022

Andy Warhol, speaking into a telephone
MOTD
Today’s Rosenberg Mention of the Day highlights the more controversial work of pop artist Andy Warhol.

MOTD: Mar 10, 2022

Angela Davis poses, seated beside a table with a vase of flowers.
MOTD
Today's Rosenberg Mention of the Day comes from a beautiful article about RFC Advisory Board member Angela Davis and a lifetime dedicated to revolution. She discusses that while imprisoned in the... Read More

MOTD: Mar 03, 2022

Billy Keane and Wanda Houston record their original song, “It's About More,” at The Guthrie Center in Great Barrington.
MOTD
This Strange Fruit MOTD comes from Pittsfield, MA where the Black Legacy Project, a national initiative to foster racial unity, will premiere on March 6.

MOTD: Mar 02, 2022

Nile Alicia Ruff and Davione Gordon, center, with members of Spectrum Dance Theater, perform in “Strange Fruit” at the Peak Performances series at Montclair State University.
MOTD
This visceral, deeply upsetting #StrangeFruitMOTD features a dance/theater piece by Donald Byrd’s Seattle-based Spectrum Dance Theater currently in production at Montclair State University in NJ.

MOTD: Feb 28, 2022

Still-frame from the "Strange Fruit" video by the SALT Project. A close up of one of the narrators at the microphone.
MOTD
This video from SALT was produced in 2014 to honor the 75th anniversary of Billie Holiday's first recording of "Strange Fruit." The narrators take a faith-based/religious lens, which we think is... Read More

MOTD: Feb 24, 2022

Singer Nina Simone
MOTD
One day after her birthday, another Nina Simone-focused Strange Fruit Mention of the Day highlights her “five greatest isolated vocals”: “Billie Holiday is the artist...most intrinsically linked with... Read More
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