Jazz singer Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” has become one of the most potent protest songs in U.S. history. Its images of lynched African Americans accompanied the civil-rights movement but still evoke uncomfortable truths today. The song was written by a Jewish Communist high-school teacher, Abel Meeropol. It was originally a poem, written … Continue reading ““Strange Fruit”: a Searing Protest Song”
New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland has become the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior, which manages federal lands and natural resources, and includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Since 1824, the BIA has been in charge of federal services to the 574 federally recognised Native tribes and 1.9 million American Indians … Continue reading “The First Native American U.S. Interior Secretary”
Dickens’ classic, David Copperfield, is given new life in this movie by Armando Ianucci. Beyond the slightly reinvented plot itself, we are given to experience a new way of telling stories, as boundaries between reality and fiction are blurred if not crossed. What’s more, this brand-new funny version features colour-blind casting and leads us to … Continue reading “David Copperfield”
The new Tom and Jerry film made us smile so much, we decided to create resources for two levels on it. The film mixes animation and live action and stars Chloë-Grace Moretz, whose first task as a wedding planner is to rid a Manhattan hotel of Jerry the mouse before the big day. At A1, … Continue reading “All New Tom and Jerry”
The Littérature Live Festival will take place in Lyon and the surrounding region, as well as online, from 25 to 30 May 2021. It’s the successor of the annual Assises internationales du Roman and this year features 40 different contemporary authors, quite a few of whom write in English. As well as events at the … Continue reading “Literature Festival in Lyon”
A new biopic of Billie Holiday alleges the blues singer was persecuted by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics over her support for the civil rights movement and her insistence on singing the powerful anti-lynching anthem “Strange Fruit.” Jazz singer Andra Day won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal of Holiday. The United States … Continue reading “Billie Holiday: Blues and Civil Rights”
If you would like to explore the debate around a possible second Scottish independence referendum, IndyRef2, in class, these videos have some useful material. We already featured a Scottish National Party Party Political broadcast from before the 6 May elections in our article. This one was published after the election results. Its message is pretty … Continue reading “Scottish Independence Debate Videos”
1921 has been described as a year of anniversaries in Northern Ireland, marking 100 years since the partition of Ireland which led to the creation of Northern Ireland. But nobody seems sure which dates to mark or celebrate, or indeed if they should be marked at all. A century after the border was created, and in … Continue reading “100 Years Ago: Northern Ireland Came into Existence”
If you are teaching LLCER Anglais, monde contemporain next year, you should be receiving your specimen copy of Shine Bright AMC right around now. And to find out more, you can watch the replay of the 12 May webinar where two of the authors presented the book. Thank you to the many teachers who participated! … Continue reading “Meet the Authors: Shine Bright AMC Webinar”
After elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish National Party has emerged the leading party for the fourth consecutive election, achieving just one seat short of a majority in an electoral system specifically designed not to produce overall majorities. The party of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had campaigned on the promise of a new independence … Continue reading “Scottish Independence Back on the Agenda”
