Billy Holiday

In the early twentieth century, even though slavery had been abolished years before, racism was rampant in America. There were few brave enough to speak out about what was happening. Black artists could perform in clubs, but were not able to patron those same establishments because they were designated white only. One of those black artists decided to take a stand. Billie Holiday, known as Lady Day, recorded “Strange Fruit” on April 20, 1939 at Brunswick’s …

…part because of the era in which it was performed. Also because of Lady Day’s ability to force these brutal images into the listeners mind, making them a witness to the violent reality of racism in early twentieth century America. Billie holiday should be held in the same regard as Martin Luther King jr. and Malcom X because she paved the way for these future leaders in the fight for civil rights. PAGE 2 PAGE 2