Listen to this when
Strange Fruit
For bearing witness to history 🕯️
Who it's for
This protest song depicts the lynching of Black Americans in the South, and Nina Simone sings it with stark, unflinching gravity.
Grieving and shaken→Witnessed and grounded
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Strange Fruit" is a protest song against the lynching of African Americans, written by Abel Meeropol (as Lewis Allan) and first published as a poem in 1937. Billie Holiday made it famous with her 1939 recording. Nina Simone recorded it for her 1965 album Pastel Blues in a plain, unsentimental delivery.
Where to find it
All major streaming services.
Before you start
Heads up: Graphic depiction of lynching.
Age: Suggested 13+
You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Chapter X
