Strange Fruit

Plays, reflecting roles of women in anti-lynching movement, offer insights into social and sexual climate of their time.

A collection of plays that focus on women's view of lynching. It reveals a social history of interracial cooperation between black and white women and an artistic tradition that continues to evolve through the work of African American women artists. It includes examples of both one-act and full-length dramas.

"These lynching dramas may not present the picture that America wants to see of itself, but these visions cannot be ignored because they are grounded—not only in the truth of white racism's toxic effect on our national existence but also in the truth that there exists a contesting, collective response that is part of an on-going and continually building momentum." —Theaatre Journal

"A unique, powerful collection worthy of high school and college classroom assignment and discussion." —Bookwatch

This anthology is the first to address the impact of lynching on U.S. theater and culture. By focusing on women's unique view of lynching, this collection of plays reveals a social history of interracial cooperation between black and white women and an artistic tradition that continues to evolve through the work of African American women artists. Included are plays spanning the period 1916 to 1994 from playwrights such as Angelina Weld Grimke, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Lillian Smith, and Michon Boston.