The story behind Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit"

[rumblesmom]

@votexx76, there is dysfunction in all races. Get a grip then get a life.

[gedoug]

Southern democrats filibustered...not conservatives. When will people stop perpetrating this lie about conservatism. SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS were and are responsible for promoting, defending, and perpetrating racism in the US. Read your history.

[randomcrapist]

@gedoug oh god... shut up man. this is not the place for you to vent your spleen, ok?

[HappyBunny8one2]

Thank-you for this well thought documented video. God bless all today on Martin Luther King day.

[randomcrapist]

@HappyBunny8one2 thank you buddy!

[jaya34ish]

Thank You.....I'm going to show this to my Children........Thanx.

[9162vb48]

Great movie!

I wish the filmmaker the best of success -- we need more of the same.

[randomcrapist]

@9162vb48 me too! the guy who did this is a real talent!

[vortexx76]

The treatment of Blacks throughout the history of the US is the reason why many of them are dysfunctional in society to this very day.

It takes multiple generations of the opposite treatment in order to restore functionality back into the oppressed as a whole.

That simply has not happened for the most part...

[randomcrapist]

@vortexx76 :-X

[philsyard]

there is no doubt that all the civil rights leaders of the 40s 50s and 60s were inspired by the bravery , honesty , and sheer balls of this black lady who dared to stand up racism in its NASTIEST form , an absolute HERO... god bless

[randomcrapist]

@philsyard she sure was... thanks for the comment, man!

[Abbie102349]

I live in the South but I cannot imagine how any human being could watch these things without giving their own lives to stop it. I was active in human rights from age 12. The richest 1% encouraged racism. It began before the United States existed. WAKE UP! I am Hebrew. How do you think it felt to discover that we had Nazis in our own government during WWII. They promote racism and always have, their motto, divide and conquer.

[philsyard]

and thats the double truth ruth......

[Abbie102349]

@philsyard Another double truth, is that men could beat and kill their wives for almost no reason. Let's remember Francis Stewart Silver, who was hung in Burke County, NC for killing her husband. It made no difference that she did it in self defense to stop him from killing her and their small baby. She never had the right to a lawyer or any kind of due process. We are all slaves until all people have equal rights and not just the rich.

[Abbie102349]

Respond to this video... I love Billie Holiday. She is a rare woman and she had the courage to speak out and for her she found it in music

[babbfamilyidaho]

You did a really good job on this, thank you for uploading.

[al007italia]

There was 1 key fact left out about the Sothern conservatives that filibustered lynching laws in the US Senate, they were Democrats, not Republicans like most people think today when they hear the word conservative.

[vortexx76]

@al007italia Who gives a shit what political side they were on back then? The tides have turned and the conservative sickos are on the other side now. But that's beside the point regardless.

[al007italia]

@vortexx76 The truth is never besides the point. The labels may have changed but it is still the Democratss, not the conservative Republicans who are anti-black. It is the liberal Democrats who treat them like helpless children who need their liberal elite masters to take care of them & run their lives instead of treating them as human beings.

[vortexx76]

@al007italia So your saying that liberal programs like welfare, food stamps, etc..should be done away with so the helpless blacks can take care of themselves?..Right? Um yea you sound like a modern day right wing conservative to me...Again my ignorant friend..thats beside the point because regardless of arguments about political affiliations in the past, present or future the original "point" was about people like you denying human beings basic human rights..like food, shelter, and um life...

[srbowm75]

very powerful!

[talvarius]

Good documentary. Much appreciated.

[Organgrinder1010]

How can one "Like" this? Yet I need to vote for its posting. It's unforgettably, gruesomely haunting—and painfully accurate.

[aceillinois]

wow...now, i know what "strange fruit project" really means

[randomcrapist]

@aceillinois: and what is that project?

[aceillinois]

@randomcrapist look it up on wikipedia

[MalcolmWrightful]

WYTE PPL ARE RESPONSIBLE OF ALL DESTRUCTION ON PLANET EARTH

[randomcrapist]

@MalcolmWrightful ok, that's not really true. personally, I think religion has done much worse :P

[FullMoongrn]

@randomcrapist religion has not thrown an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagazaki. Hitler did not in the name of religion killed millions of jews, gypsys and homosexuals. Bush killed not hondreds of thousands Iraqies in the name of religion but earlier in the name of oil/ money. The world economic crisis which made many ppl lose everything they had (home's, their money, their jobs.. etc) was not caused by religious ppl.... and the list has no end... I can go on if you want.

[thimization]

@MalcolmWrightful You can watch something about the horrors of racism, and just turn around with racism of your own...

[Abbie102349]

@MalcolmWrightful 

[Abbie102349]

@MalcolmWrightful Until the early 20th Century, men could beat their wives and kill them with great cruelty. Nobody said a word. The extreme rich created racism as a decoy to hide their greed. They backed both sides of war so that they could make money on all lower and middle class sons and daughters. They are still doing it while they have the herds blaming each other.

[boomboomkityfcuk]

@MalcolmWrightful The Catholic church is the largest genocide in the history of the world. We are all to blame...

[TDS4UT]

@boomboomkityfcuk The klan not only has issues with blacks, they also lynched Jews and people of many immigrant groups, particularly Catholics. The Catholic hatred in the South stems from the Civil War when the Pope wrote a letter to Jefferson Davis asking him not to accept Catholic immigrants into the Confederate military. After the war, immigrants went South and were hired over the local Southerners. Catholic churches were burned, priests lynched.

[AnonymousTheMusician]

@boomboomkityfcuk preach on kill all racist/sexist/religionist all of them need to die today!!!!

[NeverSayNeverEnD]

@MalcolmWrightful Because reverse racism (aka. Minorities vs. "Whites") is exactly what the anti-seperatism movements preached... *eye roll*

[Yesiilikedrumso0]

@MalcolmWrightful you know what else destructs society? IGNORANCE

[AnonymousTheMusician]

@MalcolmWrightful thank u im a white man so its doubly bad. Historically 99% of all evil acts(murders,rapes,etc.) were comited by men and 99% of those were commited personally or bicariously were by fucking whites. Im so ashamed of my race and my sex

[djqbeat]

what should i say coz my love is singing...im white but easteuropean and they dont like us in western countries even we be white.... but ok we fight against racism-and for me i will fight till im dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[randomcrapist]

@djqbeat: more power to you! :-)

[sanacore2011]

My hate. I AM the ONE opposed to the hate that is corporate bitch Presidents who feed Wall Street and screw the people ! I am the one who is OPPOSED to the HATE of American drones slaughtering children !! I am the one who is opposed to the HATE of

an American Empire who props up and defends the racist Zionist Apartheid State of

Israel. Lewis Allen and Billie Holiday would be 100% on my side NOT yours bud !!

[randomcrapist]

@sanacore2011: dam! you are the shit, aren't you? go fix that huge ego of yours with some narcotics man, don't take it out on me. Billie would be on your side... LOL you're starting to sound like the damn christians. You don't know shit dude. Fuck off.

[anarchosolar]

@randomcrapist So you are saying that Allen and Holiday would have been on the side of the IDF during Cast-Lead ? Wow !! You really understand the message of STRANGE FRUIT.....NOT !!

[randomcrapist]

@anarchosolar: WTF?!? You people high on something?

[randomcrapist]

@sanacore2011: what kind of incident has to happen for someone to actually become pretentious and arrogant enough to actually believe dead people would be on their side? How much ignorance is necessary for a human being to believe they are so righteous in their own little tiny micro-cosmos? Yes, you are a hater. You hate who doesn't agree with you. And as if that wasn't enough, you bathe us in your ignorant religious views. I didn't invite you in, but I am kicking you out. Goodbye.

[JoeyJoelBand]

@sanacore2011 U can't see it, but you do push hate. Ur words r drenched in it. FACT - 'Strange Fruit was written by a Jewish Intellectual who could not fathom the treatment of the Blacks in this 'Democratic society.' The civil rights movement was organized, and spearheaded by Jewish Lawyers, and political leaders who were in positions of power, hated the injustice, and able to support Black society in gaining their rights. They were attacked as well. Examine ur thinking honestly.

[sanacore2011]

I was talking about how Americans lynch in the world today !! By proxy regimes, by the US army and by drones dropping bombs on women and children along the Pakistan/Afghan border IT IS ALL TRUE under the Uncle Tom Corporate Bitch

warmonger Obama !!

[randomcrapist]

@sanacore2011: dude! shut up! i'm not interested and thats not what this video is about. SHUT UP! Go spread your hate elsewhere.

[sanacore2011]

Nowadays Americans get their lynching rocks off via combination of outsourcing and remote technology...as they enjoy watching their American armed and financed

Israeli friends murder and enforce apartheid upon Palestinians or the American video

game Pentagon and CIA sending its Drones to slaughter civilians in Pakistan. The sick irony being the latter is one delivered campaign promise by Barack "Oreo Cookie"

Obama.

[randomcrapist]

@sanacore2011: you gotta be shitting me. STFU!

[sanacore2011]

@randomcrapist

Everything I said is true. You in contrast articulated nothing.

[randomcrapist]

@sanacore2011: it's not true, it's your version of the truth. and this is a vide about a song and its story and has nothing to do with your warped political agenda. So the only thing I could articulate that could, in fact, suit your twisted perception of things is indeed STFU. So here it is again, stretched out if you can't figure out the short version: shut the fuck up.

[ShannonAndLucinda]

@sanacore2011 You Are Some Rapist FKUC!

[anarchosolar]

@ShannonAndLucinda Wow ! A stand against APARTHEID in the spirit of STRANGE FRUIT and you call me a

Rapist Fuck...then tells people everything about YOU and takes nothing away from me. In fact it just enhances my

credibility.

[screenerhotrod]

Thank you so much for this poignant video. Unfortunately the social lynching goes on unabated.

[randomcrapist]

@screenerhotrod: thank you for viewing and commenting! and you are right... in a time when racism comes disguised as political disagreement, a nation has a lot to worry about. share it if you can. and thanks again for dropping by! :-)

[Lavendre9productions]

I heard this song on COLD CASE a few minutes ago and I was mesmerized! What a beautiful and haunting song!

[randomcrapist]

@Lavendre9productions: isn't it? glad you liked and thanks for the comment :-)

[marguerite1947]

God bless Miss Billy Holiday, still miss you but your message lives on!

this video should be shown as part of todays... In- School Curriculum..graphically shows beliefs the USA was founded on. PLUS the genocide of the Native Americans. its a wonder the 'founding fathers' could pray amidst all the slaughter and hangings going on.

[randomcrapist]

@marguerite1947: you are absolutely right! It is obvious that racism hasn't been eradicated. It is in fact dormant and latent and every now and then we see expressions of it. Only understanding history will we be able to involve as individuals. Who can remain oblivious to current facts after being confronted with such truth from (a very recent) past?

[cheesycat07]

Thank you.

[randomcrapist]

@cheesycat07: My pleasure! :-)

[llddau]

@randomcrapistThanks so much for bothering to make that. Its important. It made me cry again. Strange Fruit does that every time.

[randomcrapist]

@llddau: Man, Billie Holiday is amazing and so is this song. But I didn't make this video. In the video information you will find some stuff about the guy who made it. Anyways, thanks for dropping by and leaving such nice words. :-)

[Blackgeoff1]

A sad statement on humanity. Unfortunately not limited to America by any means .. in the early days of European invasion in Australia genocide was practiced in Tasmania with the same ease that farmers went out hunting wild pigs or any other feral pest; Volumes can be written on the crimes commited against the Australian Aborigine people. No legislation here or anywhere else in the world can change peoples thinking or make them worthy of the term "human being".

[randomcrapist]

I'm with you man... Is there an informative video of any kind about the matter on youtube or anywhere online?

[Blackgeoff1]

randomcrapist - I greatly appreciate your interest. There are several such videos on youtube; here's two titles - (comment box won't accept URLs)

"ABORIGINAL SURVIVAL"

"Australian Aboriginal Genocide."

After watching Billie Holliday here I think I love her even more than ever. bigrider2806's comment is spot on .. what a great lady.

[randomcrapist]

sure was a remarkable woman. and much like all geniuses she had her problems too. thanks for the video suggestions. i'm at work now (no sound here) but i will watch them first thing when i get home. again, thanks a lot bud!

[randomcrapist]

tue that, my friend. true that.... :-) Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Your words actually come in a very appropriate moment. peace!

[bigrider2806]

a very very brave lady to sing a song like that at the time, but lady day was never one to back down from a fight ! rip lady day