Strange Fruit

December 30, 2005 1:31 PM

Strange Fruit
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin' in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees...
posted by caddis (47 comments total)

Lyrics by Lewis Allen
posted by caddis at 1:32 PM on December 30, 2005

Whenever I see things like this I think of just how often we see comments - here and elsewhere - from people who think their own particular anger or revulsion justifies bypassing the justice system. See, those paedophiles should have the parents of their victims set loose on them. And don't get me started on those damned illegal immigrants.

Chilling.
posted by Decani at 1:39 PM on December 30, 2005

.
posted by feathermeat at 1:40 PM on December 30, 2005

A very sad and sobering exhibition. These images have haunted me for a long time -- one of them, that of the Lynching of William Brown, inspired me to write a play, which, years later, appeared at the Warhol Museum along the "Without Sanctuary" exhibit.
posted by maxsparber at 1:43 PM on December 30, 2005

dupe, dupe, dupe, dupe and so on.
posted by delmoi at 1:47 PM on December 30, 2005

I remember coming across this site a while back, maybe a year or two ago. Moving and horrifying.

The (relatively new) messageboard is a shame, though. Wish I hadn't clicked on it.
posted by Gator at 1:49 PM on December 30, 2005

This deserves to be posted and re-posted. And shown in every sixth-grade class in America.

Thanks, caddis.
posted by orthogonality at 1:50 PM on December 30, 2005

delmoi, I don't want to worry you but you duped yourself within your dupe comment.
posted by herting at 2:05 PM on December 30, 2005

I haven't clicked on any of these links - I've seen them before and feel sick, so SICK...

thanks - caddis.
posted by Stars Kitten at 2:35 PM on December 30, 2005

The last time I saw this, I recognized a name and it turned out that I am a distant relative of one of the victims.

This deserves to be posted and re-posted. And shown in every sixth-grade class in America.

I agree.
posted by snsranch at 2:41 PM on December 30, 2005

People need to hear and see this. Its insight into our culture and we need to see how much we hurt each other.
posted by wheelieman at 2:48 PM on December 30, 2005

This deserves to be posted and re-posted.

Right. In fact, it's so important I think nothing else should be posted on MetaFilter. All "Without Sanctuary," all the time. That'll change things in America!
posted by languagehat at 2:54 PM on December 30, 2005

"This deserves to be posted and re-posted."

Yeah, MeFi needs more death porn.
posted by mischief at 3:01 PM on December 30, 2005

Languagehat: I think you're taking it a bit too far, but there's a valid point there. There is something to be said for reposting things like this; and they should be taught in middle school or high school.

There's always someone who's never seen them before, or people who think "that would never happen here". My 11th grade history teacher taught a 4 week unit on vigilanteism and lynchings. She and the school district got hate mail every year for doing it, but the school board and administration refused to make her stop.
posted by jlkr at 3:04 PM on December 30, 2005

There's also something to be said for the fact that it HAS been reposted, at least 4 other times already. that makes this the fifth in as many years, at least.

Shall we make December 30th, a MefiWide holiday?

Very well. WithoutSanctuaryDay it is. Every December 30th we'll post this site and talk about how much we need to be reminded of this site every year. Because don't forget, you can't make a decent post about the horrors of america's lynching in the past without mentioning this precise site every single time.
posted by shmegegge at 3:13 PM on December 30, 2005

jlkr: I'm not sure you picked up on my sarcasm. I yield to no one in my horror at America's history of lynching and my admiration for the documentation provided by Without Sanctuary and similar efforts, but posting something on MeFi is not equivalent to changing America. It's just providing fodder for discussion by MeFites, and we've discussed this before. More than once. More than twice. I just don't understand the mentality that says "This is important, so it should be exempt from the rules of MeFi!" If you feel it's important to discuss lynching on MeFi yet again, at least take the trouble to find a new site/angle. Posting Without Sanctuary for the umpteenth time is just plain lazy.
posted by languagehat at 3:20 PM on December 30, 2005

shown in every sixth-grade class in America

Well, it is shown in my college freshman U.S. history courses each semester--right after I give a lecture titled "Reconstruction: Or, How the South Won the Civil War." I have the students read some newspaper descriptions of local lynchings, then show the flash movie at this site. You could hear a pin drop. It is probably the most effective thing we do.
posted by LarryC at 3:44 PM on December 30, 2005

I was just about to lynch somebody until I saw this post. I would have felt sooo dumb, tew. Whew. Thanks Metafilter!
posted by tkchrist at 3:53 PM on December 30, 2005

Without descriptions of their crimes, this site is no more than gawking at dead people.
posted by mischief at 3:54 PM on December 30, 2005

The images are grim, as is the reality of our civilization that they document.

shmegegge, maybe that's not a bad idea. What better way to end the year by focusing on mortality, the beast within, etc.

Well, aside from having more egg nog, that is.
posted by darkstar at 3:56 PM on December 30, 2005

michief: there are detailed listings of their "crimes." I randomly clicked on a few, including the story of a lynched Jew. The dark and bloody history of homo sapiens is disturbing, and constrasts so much with the friendliness and generosity I see alomost every day....cognitive dissonance, I guess you could call it.
posted by kozad at 4:00 PM on December 30, 2005

While I somehow managed to miss the past four or five, or whatever posts of this site, I recall hearing a story on it on NPR about a year ago. What really got to me was hearing people reading the messages on the backs of these post cards. "Hi Grandma!..." ick
posted by pieisexactlythree at 4:13 PM on December 30, 2005

"Lewis Allan" (not "Allen") was the pen name of Abel Meeropol, a radical Jewish NYC schoolteacher who wrote the song (and adopted the Rosenberg's children after they were executed).

Dave Margolick's excellent little book on the song tells the story well.
posted by realcountrymusic at 4:27 PM on December 30, 2005

I didn't get past the first three.
posted by mischief at 4:31 PM on December 30, 2005

Posting Without Sanctuary for the umpteenth time is just plain lazy.

These pictures went offline not long after I double posted a link to the exhibition back in 2001. That was when it was at Musarium. But the exhibit there was taken down and a link to the present site led only to the Amazon page for the book Without Sanctuary, when the latter was published. That these pictures are once again online is a fact new and noteworthy.
posted by y2karl at 4:46 PM on December 30, 2005

Sorry for the repost folks. I should have searched for more than the link, which has since changed. If Matt were to pull it as duplicative I would be fine with that decision. Nevertheless, the images still provoke strong emotions despite the well worn knowledge of what happened. The enormity of it still amazes me. I think it rivals the holocaust in the depths to which a supposedly "civilized" society, and individuals therein, are willing to look the other way in the midst of obvious and pernicious evil.
posted by caddis at 4:46 PM on December 30, 2005

Yeah, MeFi needs more death porn.

And fewer imbeciles.
posted by Decani at 4:50 PM on December 30, 2005

Also, let it be noted LinusMines posted The Roots of a Haunting Song back on April 8, 2003.
posted by y2karl at 4:50 PM on December 30, 2005

Metafilter: Now with more death porn and 10% fewer imbeciles!
posted by darkstar at 5:19 PM on December 30, 2005

and adopted the Rosenberg's children after they were executed

the rosenberg's children were executed, too?! man, that family can't catch a break!
posted by shmegegge at 6:12 PM on December 30, 2005

and here in Virginia we still have a town named Lynchburg. one would think that they might have changed the name by now.
posted by tarantula at 6:49 PM on December 30, 2005

I taught a Baldwin short story, "Going to Meet the Man," to a group of high school juniors. About half the class thought the story was "gross" (which it is), but argued that this sort of thing (not just the lynching, but the ritual maiming of the body, the castration, and the general party atmosphere) were all made up.

I was shocked, to say the least--I brought in this book and we spent a few days talking about the history that most Americans tend to deny.
posted by bardic at 7:03 PM on December 30, 2005

book=Without Sanctuary
posted by bardic at 7:05 PM on December 30, 2005

re: they were executed

i realize i engaged in ambiguous anaphora, but a contextual parsing should do the trick if english is your native language

ambiguity: still one of the most elegant proofs of syntactic recursivity
posted by realcountrymusic at 7:30 PM on December 30, 2005

Like karl said, the site went away and now it's back. That's postworthy.

The 1933 San Jose lynchings are generally recognized as the end of the lynching era.

Fritz Lang's contemporaneous 1936 film, Fury, was one of the most potent "message" films ever produced. Fury was modeled on the San Jose lynchings, with a significant plot twist: Spencer Tracy's character was innocent. It is also the subject of Louis Mayer's famous comment, "If you want to send a message, use a telegram."

One of the key plot elements in Fury is the presence of a newsreel crew who cover the storming and burning of the jail, thereby providing critical evidence in identifying the members of the lynch mob. The use of motion pictures for social justice was clearly part of Lang's message.

And that brings us back to the photographs of Without Sanctuary which force us to confront the reality of lynching then and the lingering traces it has left on American society now.
posted by warbaby at 8:03 PM on December 30, 2005

Lynchburg, Virginia is named for John Lynch, a man who ran a ferry there and was largely responsible for its settlement. I went to college there, and became extremely tired of having people ask me if I feared going to university in a town named Lynchburg (whose bloody past was advertised right there in the name!!). Seriously, people: just a little bit of research would go a long way.
posted by LiliaNic at 8:05 PM on December 30, 2005

Time Magazine hailed Strange Fruit in 1999 as the "Best Song of the Century", Amazing. Grace.

(realcountrymusic) noted this


The song quoted in the FPP was Billie Holliday's signature song...she would always sing it, always, in her later days.

A poetic song about lynching...This of course speaks about the best and worst of America.
posted by kozad at 8:12 PM on December 30, 2005

Yes Lillia, but it's kind of like Fucking, Austria--you can't blame people for making a connection.
posted by bardic at 8:12 PM on December 30, 2005

Billie Holiday's covers of the song were good, yes. Her plaintiveness was a perfect counterpoint to the theme, providing a tonal irony to match the lyrical irony.

But Billie never had the edge that made Nina Simone's hauntingly resigned, yet eerily halcyon rendition also good, if for other reasons.
posted by darkstar at 8:27 PM on December 30, 2005

i like the nina simone version too.
posted by brandz at 8:33 PM on December 30, 2005

The wiki has long stated:
You can avoid double posting by reading these [suggestions]. Generally:

# One year is the statute of limitations for an identical link.
# At least a couple of months for specific topics.
# Within one week, you're asking for it.
# On the same front page, travel out of the country. Quickly.

This has been stated numerous times, but cut people some freaking slack on double posts. This post certainly passes the one year test. Given the daily BushFilter posts, a fantastic resource like this one certainly deserves a repost once in a while, for those who have not seen it.

LiliaNic: I regret to inform you that the supposed namesake of the term lynch law, one Charles Lynch, was the brother of the founder of Lynchburg, VA. [source]
posted by dhartung at 11:25 PM on December 30, 2005

I taught a Baldwin short story, "Going to Meet the Man," to a group of high school juniors. About half the class thought the story was "gross" (which it is), but argued that this sort of thing (not just the lynching, but the ritual maiming of the body, the castration, and the general party atmosphere) were all made up.

See also this, from our esteemed moderator.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 11:35 PM on December 30, 2005

rcm, I wasn't trying to make fun of you. sorry if it sounded that way. I just think syntax is funny sometimes.
posted by shmegegge at 3:11 AM on December 31, 2005

making the argument about Lynchburg being named after a person, so it is OK, is just as reasonable as the confederate flag bumper stickers that say "heritage not hate". the reality is that the contemporary symbol/ism has become stronger than than original intent.
posted by tarantula at 5:43 AM on December 31, 2005

pictures number 24-25-26 are from where i live, and i take some little comfort in the fact that, after hard work by many people, we're the only location of a memorial of any size or accessibility in the country to lynching victims. (Moores Ford, Georgia has a roadside plaque. they have the more important task of dealing with still-living perpetrators.)

i have seen this exhibit in person (in Mississippi), while doing research on Duluth's lynching victims. it is extremely powerful, and no pixels can bring it home more than analog, IMO. (and thus, i encourage anyone who lives somewhere this exhibit visits to spend an afternoon.) even after having seen the book and the on-line exhibit many, many times during my years of work on lynching history, i found myself overcome with emotion--perhaps exacerbated by knowing more through my reading. it is impossible for me to view them without being struck again and again by the ghoulish glee exhibited by the perpetrators, the tragic multi-generational impact of these crimes, and how relatively recently these events occurred.

some interesting facts:

the editor of the Duluth News-Tribune years ago (i don't know his name) kept a copy of the Duluth lynching photo secreted in the bottom of a desk drawer for all the years of his tenure to remind him of the darkness in Duluth's history.

the primary photo was taken by a photographer out of Superior, WI after a riot that lasted from about 5pm until midnight. (10,000 people strong, according to a contemporary news reporter.) in the few days before the police enjoined him to discontinue printing the postcards, he sold out three times, if i recall correctly.

for the most comprehensive website on a lynching, visit the Minnesota Historical Society "Duluth Lynchings Online Resource." it is positively amazing to have so many primary documents commonly available.

i myself possess a contemporary print of the photo (owned by the memorial committee). my partner and i intend to use it in an "ethical images" project, which i can't tell much about, but suffice that there are ways to use such shocking and horrible photos to confront ethical dilemmas and educate. they aren't just "death porn"--they're powerful images that reflect our history. (life isn't just about the pretty pictures.) having viewed it hundreds of times, it still doesn't lose its impact on my psyche.
posted by RedEmma at 1:29 PM on December 31, 2005

The Duluth Lynching, as I am sure you know, was also the basis for a musical titled "The Last Minstrel Show."

Never saw it or read the script, but every time my play is produced I hear from people who saw the Duluth one, and were deeply moved by it.
posted by maxsparber at 1:54 PM on December 31, 2005

ah yes... i have a copy of that script, which i found in the abandoned papers of one Harlin Quist... (a whole nother project, i assure you.) it is quite biting, which might be one of the reasons why Harlin was unable to get together a production of said musical in Duluth itself at the theatre he so loved.

when it was performed just a year or two ago in the Twin Cities, unfortunately, the people in charge of publicity didn't think to let Duluthians know about it. there were several of us who were very disappointed to hear of it only a day before the last showing.

someday, i hope the theatre gets to be in such a state that someone can bring it here (it's currently closed, yet again), and i hope by then the town is ready for it...

people who think this stuff is ancient history should be standing behind my shoulder when i get blindsided by locals who still want to argue the guilt of the murdered. someday i'm going to learn to keep a copy of the court transcript in my backpack at all times.
posted by RedEmma at 9:58 AM on January 1, 2006