Arts, Celebration, Community and Culture, Party or Social Gathering, Rally, Remembrance

Lady Day or Billie Day 💞

WHEN: TRIANNUALLY: April 7, July 17, and/or especially on August 17

WHERE: Wherever you are, globally.

On Lady Day, play Billie Holiday songs, while also, if possible, displaying a photo of her in a window, on your desk, or wherever you see fit (without pulling a Dr. Oz and obstructing the view of others.)

Billie Holiday was haunted, stalked and vilified by Harry Anslinger, a Jim Crow benefactor migrant, whose family moved to US during Jim Crow for Jim Crow-whites only. Anslinger was obsessed with Miss Holiday, to the point of breaking the law to stalk, harass, and silence her. Anslinger was defiant daily, as he vilified Miss Holiday for singing her art, which Anslinger had the audacity to label as "defiant." Meanwhile, Miss Holiday was simply living her life, while working through her own personal traumas, including traumas created by hatriots such as Anslinger.

Anslinger's claim to fame was cheating a 1915 widower out of $50,000 after a Pennsylvania Railroad accident. Imagine the life of the widower in early 1900s, with limited civil rights and job options? Anslinger worked on behalf of the corporation (Pennsylvania Railroad) to defy and deny the woman, with zero regard for her well-being.

Anslinger even refused to turn over evidence when ordered by law and accredited officials.

To sum Anslinger and his life's work:

Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men.

Anslinger targeted Miss Billie Holiday because she refused to stop discussing the racist treatment she received and witnessed, the same treatment that allowed inept and unqualified Anslinger to rise to power solely because he was a white male, racist misogynist. Anslinger was funded and supported by wealthy William Randolph Hearst, who would be the Space Karen/Elon Musk of our day.

Anslinger did not notice, haunt nor stalk the addicts, rapists/kkk, murderers (kkk), and wife beaters (kkk), that he was surrounded by daily. Anslinger simply saw Billie as the actual threat to national security, peace and whites-only prosperity, because whites-only was not enough for Anslinger to simply live his own life. Anslinger also did not want black and white persons to socialize, while believing that jazz music was the cause of integration and self-esteem for non-whites. Because without hate and bigotry, Anslinger would have actually needed talent and skills to survive. Hatriotism and bigotry were Anslinger's only skills. And, yes, Anslinger was that mentally ill, as racism is a severe form of mental illness.

New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, through the La Guardia Committee, refused all of Anslinger's claims about marjiuana, which infuriated Anslinger, who was on an "obey n obey," non-scientific mission. Anslinger also refused scientific evidence from the American Bar Association and American Medical Association, and decided to do his own thing, haunting and targeting Miss Holiday, who was simply doing her own thing: singing and traveling. Anslinger ignored the lynchings throughout the south, and again, saw Miss Holiday as the problem.

Anslinger IS the Jim Crow benefactor poster child, who demonstrates and explains how ignorant persons like the bad grades guy rise to power with extremely wealthy and ignorant persons, who aid and abet them (e.g., Elon Musk, Betsy DeVos, Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, and similar).

So, in honor of the torture and humiliation that Anslinger directed toward Miss Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan) and other jazz musicians, on April 7, July 17, and especially on August 17 — the day her stalker, Harry Anslinger, died, light up each participating city with music from Lady Day, and throw Charlie Parker's music into the rotation as well. Let their music play so far and wide, that Anslinger will feel the vibration in his grave, or whatever dark hole that he is haunting now.

Additional Links:

• billieholiday.com
• instagram.com/billieholidayofficial
• biography.com/musicians/billie-holiday
• The United States vs. Billie Holiday — imdb.com/title/tt8521718
• Lady Sings The Blues — imdb.com/title/tt0068828
• Billie Holiday stamp — note that there is no commemorative "Harry Anslinger" stamp, because Anslinger's history is trash, just like all other hatriots
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday