Driving through the pines of East Texas gives me shudders when I consider the violence that took place in their shadows. No less than the trees themselves, the history I was taught cloaked and hid the violence of whites against blacks. “Strange Fruits” was a prophetic song decades ago that whispered the unspeakable truth. It gave voice to those being choked into silenced, and gave a face to the hooded figures of our shared past. Because it wasn’t acceptible to talk about this side of American history, Columbia Records refused to release the song, but the song became a kind of anthem. To hear “Strange Fruits”,