Billie Holiday

Social movements can be defined as a grouping of individuals or organizations which focus on political and social issues. Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, drafted and passed the Emancipation Proclamation which changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million slaves in the south from “slave” to “free, which was monumental for the African-American people. Fast forward about a century later racism was alive and well and prosed an issue for the social justice of African-Americans. The 1960’s were a…

“Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze / Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees” (3-4). The poem “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol was published in 1937. It sets a deep tone on how racism occurred back in the 1930s. Meeropol was an ordinary high school teacher who went on to teach English for seventeen years. He was also a poet and social activist. Meeropol was troubled at the racism going on in America. He was inspired to write this poem after seeing a photograph of two teenagers;…

“Strange Fruit” Poetry Analysis Essay “Blood on the leaves and blood on the root / Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze” (Meeropol 2-3). The poem “Strange Fruit” was published in the 1930s by Abel Meeropol. Meeropol was an English teacher in Dewitt Clinton High School, a photograph of lynching motivated Meeropol for writing the poem, “Strange Fruit”. Meeropol didn’t like that racism was still persistent in America. The photograph of the lynching was a terrible and disturbing picture of…

On April 25, 1917 a star was born Ella Fitzgerald , She was born in Newport News, VA and raised in New York . Ella and Her Mother Temperance Fitzgerald where homeless for some years before she got her big break, In 1934 . She appeared the Apollo theater in Harlem winning a contest and got discovered by a big artist . http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ella-fitzgerald Years later she was called “The First Lady of Song,”. But growing up in New York, She was inspired by “ Shake hips” Tucker…

“Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol displays great example of acceptance. Although this poem refers to specific events that occurred several years ago, this poem captures a great feeling of acceptance since it shows how African-Americans of the past were not accepted or treated as people; which is something relevant and relatable to this day. “Strange Fruit” protests against African-American lynching during the 1930s as it was common in the South. It narrates the sadness, desperation, and sorrow…

Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1915 and is a very successful and famous Jazz singer. Billie Holiday influenced tons of musicians and people throughout her career, even though it came to a bad end. Her songs and the way she sang them really inspired many people and made many fall in love with her and her work.People still listen to her music till this day and she is still considered one of the greatest jazz musicians. Billie Holiday had a very tough childhood. Her real…

popular singer, a prostitute, and persecuted, Billie Holiday spend her life batting abuse, addiction and racial discrimination. Billie was an iconic figure living ahead of her time. On a time of segregation, when expressing your opinion could cost your life, she was fearless. Billie Holiday was a fighter, a female that will revolution music and will make an unforgettable contribution to music and society. Eleanora Harris, famously known as Billie Holiday, was born on April 7, 1915 in…

The instrumental musicians seem to be following Billie Holiday in the song, “Love Me or Leave Me.” She contributes a strong vocal presence while the trumpet, alto saxophone, and piano compliment her voice. The trumpet and the alto saxophone lead off the song and Billie Holiday joins in powerfully at 00:17. Her voice seems to dominate at times, particularly towards the end of each chorus. During most of Holiday’s verse, the trumpet and alto saxophone are not as clearly noticeable as they are…

discriminated and ambushed daily. Holiday performed “Strange Fruit,” she was jeopardizing herself in terms of releasing the song out in 1939, this song made Americans look bad because they were harmful to the Africans. This song was written to get an image of how African Americans were being treated in the South between 1882 and 1968. The song “Strange Fruit” is associated with historical incidents of the South, segregation and police brutality. Billie Holiday felt…

As I write the above poem, I reflect on my time at my first ADTA conference, the words of a Billie Holiday song, Why Not Take All of Me, come to mind. In this song, she speaks very candid about a man taking her heart due to a breakup and decides that it is best to take her life since one has taken the better part of her. For me, in this journey of therapy and Counseling, as an African American, one of my strongest assets is that I am a black man. As it is who I am, providing a very specific…