© Frank H. Jump
An Other Strange Fruit
Fruit: Comparing the Struggles of African-Americans for Civil Rights with the Struggles of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Peoples
by Miss Poppy Dixon, 06.01
The word ‘fruit’ has, in the context of this article, three meanings. Billy Holiday’s haunting 1939 rendition of the song “Strange Fruit” gave voice to a nation’s anguish over the lynching of African-Americans. [1]
Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body 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 magnolia sweet and fresh,
And 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 a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The word “fruit” also refers derogatorily to homosexuals. A little more than a month after the nation was rocked by the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a black transgendered woman, Rita Hester, was stabbed to death in her Boston apartment. And on the 4th of July 2000, two teenagers murdered a gay African American man, Arthur “J.R.” Warren. He was kicked and beaten, his skull fractured, then driven over by his captor’s car four times. Hester and Warren violated the boundaries of both race and gender. To claim their deaths were caused by one prejudice, and not the other, would be presumptuous.
The meaning of the word “fruit” has bled into other categories.
Finally, I use the word “fruit” in the biblical sense, “…by their fruits ye shall know them,” from Matthew 7:20. The fruits of oppression in the United States have Christian roots; the same Bible once used to enslave blacks is now used to discriminate against black homosexuals, and white homosexuals. – Strange Fruit: Comparing the Oppression of African-Americans and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Communities
White Hardware Co. – Mill Supplies & Heavy Hardware – Savannah, GA
Mill Supplies & Heavy Hardware © Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
Other Internet postings:
- John’s View of the World: White Hardware Co
- Flickr – Code Poet’s Photostream
Narragansett Beer – Ralph's Bar – Worcester, MA
© LB Worm
© LB Worm
© LB Worm
Hello – Love your blog, a fan here in Worcester, MA. My favorite drinking establishment recently had an ad for Narragansett Beer, which is making a comeback in New England, painted on the outside of the bar. I also included a shot of the front. The place features an authentic 1950’s diner and two bars, upstairs and down. The mural would be on the right side. – Thanks, LB Worm
Thank you LB. Great mural!
V-Day’s Annual NYC Benefit Features Reading of Eve Ensler’s Newest Work Directed by Rosario Dawson
02/04/2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Celia Swan/Kate Fisher (917) 865-6603 press@vday.org
New York, NY – February 4, 2010 – V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls, will host its annual NYC benefit on Friday evening, February 5th, featuring a reading of playwright and V-Day Founder Eve Ensler’s newest work, I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life Of Girls Around The World. The evening will be directed by actor/activist and V-Day Board member Rosario Dawson and held at the Urban Zen Center at Stephan Weiss Studio.
The reading will be performed by teen girls including Samantha Mozes and girls from V-Girls pilot sites in New York City – the Harvey Milk High School at the Hetrick Martin Institute, the Young Women’s Leadership School, and the Lower East Side Girls Club. Hosts include V-Day, Jennifer and Peter Buffett, Eve Ensler, Cynthia Nixon, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, David Stone and V-Board members Rosario Dawson, Beth Dozoretz, Donna Karan, Katherine McFate, Pat Mitchell, Cari Ross, Susan Celia Swan and Kerry Washington.
I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life Of Girls Around The World is made up of original monologues about and for girls from around the world and aims to inspire girls to take agency over their minds, bodies, hearts and curiosities. The benefit coincides with the launch of V-Day’s corresponding pilot program, V-Girls, engaging young women in our “empowerment philanthropy” model, igniting their activism and providing them with a platform to amplify their voices.
Tickets from $100 – $5000 are on sale now at http://www.vday.org/nycevent . Tickets from $1000 – $5000 will include an intimate cocktail reception immediately after the reading.
The evening is made possible with the generous support of Bloomberg and Urban Zen. Proceeds will benefit V-Day’s work with women and girls worldwide.
* pending scheduling
About V-Day – V-Day is a global activist movement shattering taboos, raising millions and transforming communities to end violence against women and girls. Annually, activists stage thousands of benefit productions of Founder/playwright Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues and other works. Working at the intersection of art, social action and politics, V-Day empowers grassroots activists to become leaders, turning pain to power. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $70 million, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 11,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic Of Congo, Egypt, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya, Pakistan and South Dakota. V-Day was named one of Worth magazine’s “100 Best Charities” in 2001 and Marie Claire’s “Top Ten Charities” in 2006. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org
Rosario Dawson & Eve Ensler © Frank H. Jump
