““Strange Fruit”Strange Fruit”

Lyrics by Lewis Allan aka Abel Meeropol Lyrics by Lewis Allan aka Abel Meeropol (Jewish teacher from New York)(Jewish teacher from New York)Sung by Billie Holiday in 1939Sung by Billie Holiday in 1939

LyricsLyrics

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,Pastoral scene of the gallant south,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,Here is a strange and bitter crop. Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,Southern trees bear a strange fruit,

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,

Black bodies swinging in the Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,Pastoral scene of the gallant south,

The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,

Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,

Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,

For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,

For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,

Here is a strange and bitter crop. Here is a strange and bitter crop.

What is lynching?What is lynching?

Lynching is an act of mob violence Lynching is an act of mob violence which results in the death or which results in the death or maiming of a person often maiming of a person often suspected, charged, or convicted of a suspected, charged, or convicted of a serious crime.serious crime.

Lynching is a group killing under the Lynching is a group killing under the justification of serving justice, race or justification of serving justice, race or tradition. tradition.

Lynching often occurs outside of the Lynching often occurs outside of the legal justice system.legal justice system.

Were only men lynched?Were only men lynched?

•Laura Nelson lynched with her son in Okemah, Oklahoma on May 25, 1911.•Nelson’s son was initially accused of stealing meat, but she tried to take the blame for him so they were both killed.

Were the victims always Were the victims always hung?hung?

William Brown lynched in Omaha, Nebraska on September 28, 1919.

Brown was accused of molesting a white girl. The Mayor pleaded with the mob, but the mob set the courthouse on fire, seized him, hung him from a lamppost, mutilated him, rattled his body with bullets and then burned him.

Why did people take pictures of Why did people take pictures of lynching?lynching?

Thomas Shipp & Abram Smith lynched in Marion, Indiana on August 7, 1930.

These teenagers allegedly shot a white couple during an attempted robbery.

James Cameron escaped this lynching.

Why were blacks lynched Why were blacks lynched publicly from the 1880s to publicly from the 1880s to

the 1960s?the 1960s?To maintain the racial order in the To maintain the racial order in the

south and elsewhere across the south and elsewhere across the country after the end of slaverycountry after the end of slavery

““To protect white women”To protect white women”To teach children racismTo teach children racismTo stop blacks from taking full To stop blacks from taking full

advantage of their legal freedoms & advantage of their legal freedoms & new economic opportunities given new economic opportunities given during Reconstructionduring Reconstruction

Why were blacks lynched Why were blacks lynched publicly from the 1880s to publicly from the 1880s to

the 1960s?the 1960s?

Waud, Alfred R. “The First Vote.” Harper’s Weekly, November 1867.

Why were blacks lynched Why were blacks lynched publicly from the 1880s to publicly from the 1880s to

the 1960s?the 1960s?Blacks were elected to office in the South during Reconstruction. These are Black congressmen from the late 1800s, including the first black person to serve in the United States Senate, Hiram Revels (1869-1871).

What crimes were non-black What crimes were non-black lynching victims accused of?lynching victims accused of?

What crimes were black What crimes were black lynching victims accused of?lynching victims accused of?

Where did lynching occur?Where did lynching occur?Lynching by State & Race: 1882-Lynching by State & Race: 1882-

19681968(States with the highest lynching rates+IL)(States with the highest lynching rates+IL)

StateState WhitesWhites BlacksBlacks TotalTotalAlabamaAlabama 4848 299299 347347ArkansasArkansas 5858 226226 284284FloridaFlorida 2525 257257 282282GeorgiaGeorgia 3939 491491 530530KentuckyKentucky 6363 142142 205205LouisianaLouisiana 5656 335335 391391MississippiMississippi 4040 538538 758758MissouriMissouri 5353 6969 122122North CarolinaNorth Carolina 1515 8585 100100OklahomaOklahoma 8282 4040 122122South CarolinaSouth Carolina 44 156156 160160TennesseeTennessee 4747 204204 251251TexasTexas 141141 352352 493493VirginiaVirginia 1717 8383 100100(Illinois(Illinois 1515 1919 34)34)

TOTALTOTAL 1,2971,297 3,4463,446 4,7434,743

Why were non-blacks Why were non-blacks lynched?lynched?

Leo Frank, 1913; Jewish, northern-born factory owner in Atlanta accused of raping & murdering a 13-year-old girl

How did people respond to How did people respond to lynching?lynching?

““Our country’s national crime is Our country’s national crime is lynchinglynching. It is . It is not the creature of an hour, the sudden not the creature of an hour, the sudden outburst of uncontrolled fury, or the outburst of uncontrolled fury, or the unspeakable brutality of an insane mob. It unspeakable brutality of an insane mob. It represents the cool, calculating deliberation of represents the cool, calculating deliberation of the intelligent people who openly avow that the intelligent people who openly avow that there is an “unwritten law” that justifies them there is an “unwritten law” that justifies them in putting human beings to death without in putting human beings to death without complaint under oath, without trial by jury, complaint under oath, without trial by jury, without opportunity to make defense, and without opportunity to make defense, and without right of appeal…”without right of appeal…”- - Ida B. WellsIda B. Wells, former slave & black journalist, former slave & black journalist

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)

Who else fought to end Who else fought to end lynching?lynching?

NAACP Advertisement. “The Shame of America.” New York Times, 23 November 1922.

Who else fought to end Who else fought to end lynching?lynching?

James Weldon Johnson, Walter White (NAACP)James Weldon Johnson, Walter White (NAACP) Jessie Ames Daniel (ASWPL)Jessie Ames Daniel (ASWPL) Many senators and congressmen wrote bills Many senators and congressmen wrote bills

to pass a federal anti-lynching law, but out of to pass a federal anti-lynching law, but out of more than 200 bills, none could get past the more than 200 bills, none could get past the southern Democratic voting bloc in the southern Democratic voting bloc in the Senate.Senate.

Organizations of northern blacks, white & Organizations of northern blacks, white & black journalists, and middle-class white black journalists, and middle-class white women strove to end lynching. We will read women strove to end lynching. We will read about them more in classabout them more in class