First is 9x11.5” “Strange Fruit” program. Twelve pages. Inside cover reads “Jose Ferrer Presents Lillian Smith’s Dramatization Of Her Novel ‘Strange Fruit’ Staged By Mr. Ferrer.” c. 1946. The term “Strange Fruit” is song in reference to lynched "negroes." The term originated with a poem by Abel Meeropol about two lynched black men and became a signature song for Billie Holiday. Lillian Smith’s novel addresses the segregation issue of the day. The program is signed in ink by Lillian Smith as well as Jose Ferrer, the producer/director of the dramatization. Other autographs include Jane White, Melchor Ferrer, Vera Allen, Charlotte Keane, Ralph Theadore, Earl Jones (this is the father of James Earl Jones), George Oliver and Dorothy Carter. Program shows lt. wear but the spine remains solid and overall VF. Second is 9x12” “Marion Anderson/A Decade Of Great Song In America” program. 16 pages. Program with extensive text/photos tells the story of Anderson’s struggle for equal rights. She was denied the right to sing at a Daughters of the American Revolution event because of her color. The event resulted in an outdoor concert being held on Easter Sunday in 1939 in front of the Lincoln Memorial with 75,000 Americans attending her concert. Four years later in 1943, Marion Anderson sang in Constitution Hall before an audience in which color was no bar with Mrs. Roosevelt who had resigned from the DAR in 1939 presiding. Lt. wear. Displays Fine. An interesting pair of civil rights-related artifacts. Comes with Hake's COA.