Southern trees bear a strange fruit, 

Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, 

Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,

Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

In the middle of Chinatown (601 King Street), Sabree James and her eight-year-old son Jaylin James have created Strange Fruit, a lovingly sweet homage to the song of the same name. Their project is part art gallery, part farmer’s market, part arts-and-crafts station, with a little live performance venue thrown in, and a dash of oral history project.

The whole project is dedicated to “The Ancestors who had the courage to seek freedom, the free labor of African hands working in America” and features hand-made literal “strange fruits” hanging all over moss-covered branches (children can go into the space and make their own fruits). The gallery is currently open Mondays through Saturdays, from 1pm through 4:30 pm, and will be open through February.

Sabree and Jaylin will also be hosting a Christmas Eve party with an open mic for spoken word, crafts, and snacks.