2 Equals 12

2 Equals 12

Topic: 'Strange Fruit'

"Strange Fruit" is a powerful and haunting song that was made famous by the incomparable jazz singer Billie Holiday in 1939. The song was written as a poem by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish teacher and civil rights activist, in response to the widespread lynching of Black Americans in the Southern United States.

The lyrics of "Strange Fruit" vividly describe the horrors of lynching, with imagery likening Black bodies hanging from trees to strange fruit. The song serves as a poignant and poetic protest against the racial violence and oppression faced by African Americans during the Jim Crow era.

Billie Holiday's rendition of "Strange Fruit" became a defining moment in her career and a powerful anthem of the civil rights movement. The song was controversial and faced censorship due to its graphic subject matter, but it also helped to bring awareness to the systemic racism and violence that Black people endured.

"Strange Fruit" remains a significant and poignant piece of Black history, highlighting the ongoing fight for racial justice and equality in America.