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Billie Holiday 1915-59
BBC History UK
|July 2025
When did you first hear about Holiday?
I was studying to be a radiographer in my twenties when a fellow student mentioned Billie. I bought a Billie Holiday record that same day, and I've been a fan ever since.
What kind of woman was she?
Some people see her as a victim, hounded by the FBI over her drug use; others prefer to see her as a political activist who sang one of the first songs about a lynching. You have to view her drug and alcohol use in the context of her turbulent childhood. Her mother was just a teenager when she gave birth to Billie, who was raped as a child, sent to a Catholic reform school for girls and subsequently became a sex worker.
What made her a hero?
Esta historia es de la edición July 2025 de BBC History UK.
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