Performed By Billie Holiday,
Composed by Lewis Allen
Heard by all of America.

• Murder : the crime of unlawfully killing a person esp. with malice aforethought
• Lynch: to put to death by mob action without legal sanction or due process of law.
• Terrorism : the systematic use of fear, panic, and horror esp. as a means of coercion.

Based on Reported Articles in Newspapers
Between 1882-1951
• 4,730 people were lynched in the
United States:
• 3,437 Negro and 1,293 white
» 92 Women: 76 Negro, 16 White

• After preaching a sermon condemning Klan-cross burning near Berkley, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, Reverend
Oren Van Loon received this indelible souvenir in 1924.
• He was branded by hooded attackers with “KKK” at home in the middle of the night.
• He was considered lucky to have lived.

Southern trees bear a 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 twisted mouth,

The scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,

Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is a 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.

Common Illegal and Immoral
Justifications for Lynching
Victims were accused, but never received trials for…
• Murder
• Rape & Attempted Rape
• Assault (even in self-defense)
• An Insult to a White Woman
• Disputing (arguing) with a White Man
• Attempting to Register to Vote
• Testifying against a White Man
• Peeking in a Window
22% of reported lynchings were a result of “nameless crimes” = no reason