Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: From WBUR’s “7 Albums to listen to this fall,” we’re excited for Naomi Westwater, 'Feelings':
🔳 “Boston’s Naomi Westwater uses their newest release, a kaleidoscopic six-track EP aptly called ‘Feelings,’ to better express a multitude of their own."
Strange Fruit MOTD: “‘The people on my quilt didn’t get funerals’: 10-ft quilt at ArtPrize honors victims of lynching"
"‘They were lynched. They were murdered. They were shot. So, I want [viewers] to look at it as memorial for ppl who have been murdered in this most horrific way,’ says April Shipp. Her quilt ‘Strange Fruit: A Century of Lynching & Murder’ is on display at the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives.”
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: Rolling Stone just updated their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Take a look (pay special attention to #21), then let us know if you agree with their top 50 🤔
https://centralrecorder.com/rolling-stone-updates-the-greatest-songs-of…
This Strange Fruit Mention of the Day comes from our friends at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): “On July 17, the Tallahassee Community Remembrance Project gathered with EJI and community members in Cascades Park, under the oak tree at the corner of East Gaines and South Meridian Streets, to dedicate a historical marker in remembrance of Ernest Ponder, Richard Hawkins, Mick Morris, and Pierce Taylor, Black victims of racial terror violence in Leon County, Florida. Although weather forced the ceremony indoors, hundreds of people were still able to participate in the program.
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: Announcing a 2nd(!) opportunity next week to hear from RFC Founder Robert Meeropol: a new online event, "Strange Fruit, the Inside Story," hosted by the World Fellowship Center. As the son of Abel Meeropol, who wrote the music and lyrics to the anti-lynching anthem "Strange Fruit," Robert will talk about the songs’ origin, history and current impact.
This event begins Mon, June 28th at 7:30PM EDT. It is free and open to the public - we hope you'll join us!
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: The lyrics to "Strange Fruit" were not subtle; the song's author Abel Meeropol juxtaposed the "pastoral scene of the gallant south" against graphic depictions of lynching, which the article describes as a "sickening historical tale."
According to PBS, Billie Holiday began performing "Strange Fruit" live at Cafe Society in NYC and would end her show with it each night ("nothing could follow it"). Even today, the song "has the power to startle," still unnervingly resonant with "a legacy of violence, hurt and fear" the U.S. has yet to overcome.
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: "An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” -Nina Simone #artistsasactivists #strangefruit
Which protest songs or other works of art were the most impactful in your life? #strangefruitmotd
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: Billie Holiday was initially hesitant to perform "Strange Fruit," an anti-racist protest song written by a communist poet and teacher, Abel Meeropol. And for good reason. She "was (rightfully) concerned about being targeted at her performances" but tested the waters and eventually embraced it as her signature song.
She brought the song to her record label Columbia to record it, and when they refused she approached Commodore Records instead who finally agreed, bringing her music to the masses.
Strange Fruit Mention of the Day: "Many decades after it was first recorded by Billie Holiday, 'Strange Fruit' continues to be terrifyingly resonant. The song, which verbalizes the horrors of racism in the American South, has been covered countless times by artists across genres, from Tori Amos to Andra Day. But two renditions of the song continue to stand out above all others: Billie Holiday’s unforgettable original and Nina Simone’s profound, straightforward take."
Artists as Activists Mention of the Day: In his fascinating review of Aaron Leonard's new book, The Folk Singers and the Bureau: The FBI, the Folk Artists and the Suppression of the Communist Party, USA—1939–1956, Mat Callahan explores the targeting of political organizers (including Ethel & Julius Rosenberg) and artists (including Billie Holiday & her performance of "Strange Fruit") and the contradiction inherent in this repression of activist artists.