38 min listen
Strange Fruit #63: Reclaiming the Story of African Americans in Appalachia; Black History Month!
FromStrange Fruit
Strange Fruit #63: Reclaiming the Story of African Americans in Appalachia; Black History Month!
FromStrange Fruit
ratings:
Length:
38 minutes
Released:
Feb 3, 2014
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
The seldom-told story of African Americans in Appalachia has been on our minds since a few weeks ago when we spoke to Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker, who coined the term 'Affrilachian.' Kentuckians for the Commonwealth has been exploring the issue too, and is hosting an event celebrating the contributions of black folks in Appalachia Tuesday night. This week, we spoke to an innovator in this field of study. Dr. Bill Turner was the first scholar to combine interests in the fields of African-American and Appalachian Studies, having grown up himself in a coal mining town in Harlan County, Kentucky. We spoke with Dr. Turner about the importance of rediscovering this part of our history, and why the image of Appalachia as a white region is so pervasive and lasting. We also had K.A. Owens in our studio to tell us more about the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth event, From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage. K.A. helped make some connections between environmental preservation and social justice, too. In our Juicy Fruit segment, we talked about Janet Mock's recent video on Colorlines, where she discussed the part sex work played in her life, and drew some comparisons between her story and that of Venus Xtravaganza from our favorite movie, Paris is Burning. And to wrap things up, we talked about some of our favorite black history figures in honor of Black History Month! We'll be spending time throughout February paying tribute to some of the folks who mean the most to us—both those you know, and those who may be new to you. Happy Black History Month, Fruitcakes!
Released:
Feb 3, 2014
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Strange Fruit #56: 'Furious Cool' Co-Author David Henry on the Life of Richard Pryor: This week we spoke with David Henry, co-author of [Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him](http://www.amazon.com/Furious-Cool-Richard-Pryor-World-ebook/dp/B00CL08LNK), about Pryor's work, and why it was so groundbreaking. "He had this sort of vulnerability about himself that just made him irresistible," David says. "He didn't pull any punches." Throughout their research for the book, David and his co-author (and brother) Joe Henry, learned about how Richard honed his craft, sometimes working the same comedy club every night for a week, each night with an improved version of the previous night's material. We talked about Pryor's surprising comments on his sexual experiences with other men, his openness about his drug use, and why audiences of all races found him so relatable. "When he was on stage by himself with just a microphone, he seemed to understand everything about being a human by Strange Fruit