Happy birthday to activist artist Billie Holiday, born #OnThisDay in 1915. She is perhaps best known for her performances of Abel Meeropol's powerful anti-lynching song, "Strange Fruit."

#OnThisDay, February 14, 1910 Abel Meeropol was born. He was a teacher and a poet, most famous for writing the anti-lynching poem, "Bitter Fruit," which he would later adapt to music and retitle as the song, "Strange Fruit."

He once said, “I wrote ‘Strange Fruit’ because I hate lynching, and I hate injustice, and I hate the people who perpetrate it.”

Rosenberg Mention of the Day: 103 years ago today (on May 12, 1918) Julius Rosenberg was born in New York City. Julius & Ethel, the inspiration of the RFC, believed that others would carry on after them in the fight for justice. We hope Julius would approve of the incredible community of activists supported by the RFC in his and Ethel’s memory. Happy birthday, Julius; we remember you always.

Rosenberg Mention of the Day: #OnThisDay 70 years ago on April 5, 1951, Ethel & Julius Rosenberg were sentenced to death by Judge Irving Kaufman after being convicted of "conspiracy to commit espionage." In his infamous speech justifying the death sentence, Judge Kaufman stated that he considered their "crime worse than murder." He went on to blame them for the Korean War and the resultant lives lost in that conflict, and to accuse them of loving their cause more than their children.