Strange Fruit: Lynchings in America

Lynchings, the senseless and brutal torture and slaying of American citizens because of skin color or sexual preference, are a painful part of America's past.  Lynchings are as old as slavery and, unfortunately, as new as the lynching of James Byrd, Jr. in Texas in 1998 by three white supremacists. 

Lynchings often occurred because a black man was perceived to have made advances towards a white woman -- usually just by looking at her. Sometimes, blacks were lynched in response to a crime against a white citizen, whether there was evidence that the person was involved or not. All too often, these crimes were later found to have been committed by another white.  Mr. Byrd's only crime was to accept a ride from his murderers, who beat him, chained him to the back of the car, and dragged him for miles before his head and arm were severed, causing his death.

Today, lynching is prosecuted as a crime of murder, but for many years lynchings were ignored or even condoned by local government officials.  Some citizens even found lynchings entertaining.

In 1939, Billie Holiday (singer extraordinarie) released a recording of "Strange Fruit," which reflected on the treatment of people of color and lynchings in America.  The "strange fruit" mentioned in the song refers to the practice of hanging the dead bodies of the victims from trees. Recording this song was an act of bravery on Miss Holiday's part, for she became a target of extreme racism for speaking out. 

Watch and listen as Billie Holiday sings "Strange Fruit":

Strange Fruit

Southern trees bear strange fruit,

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,

Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,

Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is the fruit for the crows to pluck,

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

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

Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Music and lyrics by Lewis Allan, ©1940

To read stories of lynchings in American history, visit strangefruit.org.  For a brief history, read "Lynchings in America" in the True Crime library at truetv.com.  See painful images of this dark part of American history at withoutsanctuary.org.
 
Students, post your thoughts and feelings about lynchings in American after this article. Be sure to write 2-3 complete sentences in your post.