Last week, a PR firm in Austin, Texas came under fire for their use of the name Strange Fruit. This company was focused on promoting food & drink companies, did not have a social justice mission, and was run by two white ladies who knew about the Billie Holiday song, but didn't think it was too important. They responded in the Austin-American Statesman: "We thought the name would be perfect for a hospitality PR firm that specializes in food and drink. We of course Googled to ensure that it was not taken elsewhere, and found the Billie Holiday song online. Thinking it would have nothing to do with our firm, and since it was written in 1939 it wouldn't be top of mind in the public consciousness. We now know we were naive to think that, and should have known better." The changed their name to Perennial PR, but after making such a big PR blunder themselves, who knows what their future may hold. (you can read the whole story here: http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2014/12/_strange_fruit_pr_firm_is_now_perennial_public_relations.html) In the wake of this story, someone on twitter essentially said, hey, why are we going after these folks and not other companies that use Strange Fruit in their names? So we wanted to take a moment and explain the title of our show. The long and short of it is that our decision to use Strange Fruit is both educated, and intentional. Take a listen to our reasons and tell us what you think.