Andra Day on the tragic and inspiring history of the real life Billie Holiday.

In her debut role in a film, musician and actress Andra Day portrays the jazz legend Billie Holiday in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” The film tells the story of Holiday’s stand against racial injustice, and the pressure she suffered from the federal government as a result. “I call her the godmother of civil rights, because she was doing it alone.” Day says of Holiday. “Her singing ‘Strange Fruit’ and the Death of Emmett Till, reinvigorated the Civil Rights Movement.”