In 1937, a Jewish schoolteacher from New York named Abel Meeropol was inspired to write the poem "Strange Fruit" after seeing a photograph of a lynching. He later published it under a pseudonym. Singer Billie Holiday saw the poem, recorded the song version of it in 1939, which brought attention to the issue of racism. Though controversial, the song became a signature of Holiday's and helped establish her as an important protest singer. It remained an impactful and disturbing song about racism in America.