Strange Fruit By Abel Meeropol

“Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol is a poem that was published in 1937. “Strange Fruit” is a poem that was inspired by a horrible picture of a horrible lynching that occurred in 1930. This poem, by Abel Meeropol, is a disturbing poem to listen to and makes some people feel uncomfortable. Racism was a big part of the Great Depression but not really in Indiana. The event that took place on that day was very disturbing. People went to it with their youngs and smiles on their faces like it was a carnival. Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were the victims that got pulled out of jail with sledgehammers, beat, and lynched by the public. “That evening, local police were unable to stop a mob of thousands from breaking into the jail with sledgehammers and crowbars to pull the young men out of their cells and lynch them” (Anniversary of a Lynching). One other person, James Cameron, had his life speared when someone stood on the top of their car and shouted that he was innocent. James was move out of town and served four years in a prison. “After the lynching, Cameron became a very devout man and vividly describes this day in his autobiographical account, A Time of Terror” (Anniversary of a Lynching).

This poem by Abel Meeropol really describes what happened without saying what actually happened that day. The people that witnessed the lynching occur will always have that in there minds and will never be able to forget about it. “‘When a traumatic event happens like that, it makes an indelible imprint on the mind," Cameron said. "But I told him, since Indiana had forgiven me, I, in turn, forgive Indiana.’” (Anniversary of a Lynching). That day will never be forgotten but will always be remembered. When Billie Holiday sang this song she said that she hates performing it because it makes her feel uncomfortable. “But Holiday was to recall that even there she was afraid to sing this new song, and regretted it…”