Abel Meeropol

Abel Meeropol was an American writer, poet, and teacher, best known under his pen name Lewis Allan for writing the poem and song «Strange Fruit», a searing protest against the lynching of Black Americans in the South. A Jewish schoolteacher from New York City, Meeropol was moved to write the piece after seeing a photograph of a lynching, and it was later set to music and famously recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939, becoming one of the most powerful protest songs in American history.

Beyond «Strange Fruit», Meeropol was active in leftist political and cultural circles and continued to write poetry and songs addressing social injustice under his pseudonym. His work sits at the intersection of the American folk and protest song tradition and the broader struggle for civil rights, and though he was not a performing musician himself, his lyrics shaped how music could serve as a vehicle for political conscience.

Meeropol and his wife are also remembered for adopting the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg after their parents were executed for espionage in 1953, an act that reflected his lifelong commitment to social causes. His legacy endures primarily through «Strange Fruit», a song repeatedly cited as one of the most influential protest songs ever written.