Actors Theatre Leader Robert Barry Fleming

Strange Fruit #41: Film Examines Guatemala's Breakdancing Culture; Orange is the New Juicy: This week we meet Coury Deeb, founder and director of [Nadus Films](http://nadusfilms.com/). The Louisville filmmaker's latest film, [Bboy for Life](http://nadusfilms.com/#bboy-for-life), takes us into Guatemala's breakdancing subculture, and shows how gang violence affects the lives of the dancers - many of whom are pacifists, themselves. In our Juicy Fruit segment we _finally_ talk about [Orange Is the New Black](https://www.facebook.com/OITNB). And Jaison gives us an update on [Marco McMillan's murder](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/03/marco-mcmillian-murder_n_3701583.html) (McMillan was a black gay man running for mayor in Mississippi, and a friend of Jai's). by Strange Fruit

38 min listen

Strange Fruit #44: Some of My Best Friends...: Interracial Friendship in America: How multi-racial is your circle of friends? Are any of your close friends of a different race than yours? Not the lady who works down the hall from your office or the dad you chat with while waiting for your kid to get out of school. Someone who's been to your house or invited you over for dinner. A [recent poll by Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/08/us-usa-poll-race-idUSBRE97704320130808) found that the many white people - 40% - have no friends outside their race. We on Strange Fruit figure this is probably no surprise to black folks. Among people of color, 25% of respondents said they didn't have friends outside their race. We wanted to talk more about the reasons why this might be the case, and what historical and demographic factors created the situation. So we spoke to Tanner Colby, author of [Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America](http://www.ta by Strange Fruit

41 min listen

Strange Fruit #37: Alvaro Vargas Llosa on Immigration: Judging by political rhetoric alone, you might think immigration is a bigger issue now than ever before. But in his book, [Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization and America](http://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=103&gclid=CNOQ8OLjrLgCFYui4AodsAYARw), Alvaro Vargas Llosa argues that immigration rates have stayed fairly steady throughout the centuries. His book broadens the historical context of the immigration debate, and seeks to answer some contentious questions about why people risk their lives to come to America. We spoke to Vargas Llosa this week about some commonly-held immigration myths. We also asked him about what marriage equality means for international couples, and how the status quo fosters tension between immigrants and African Americans. by Strange Fruit

32 min listen

Strange Fruit #47: Meet Gert McMullen, Original Seamstress of the AIDS Memorial Quilt: To speak to Gert McMullen about the origins of [the AIDS Memorial Quilt](http://www.aidsquilt.org/) is to go back to a scary, sad time in LGBTQ history: San Francisco in the early 1980s. "People were terrified," she explains, "because they didn't know what was happening. People were just dying. They were trying to figure out, why were these gay men dying?" Gert lost many of her friends in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and thanks to the fear and stigma surrounding the disease, she was often their only visitor. "You would go into the hospitals and there was nobody there and the nurses would put you in a moon suit, basically, to walk in there, because they didn't know what was going to happen," she recalls. No one understood how the disease was transmitted, so many people were afraid to come into close contact with their afflicted loved ones - even during their final days. "I remember a friend of by Strange Fruit

25 min listen

Strange Fruit #31: Urmi Basu of New Light India; Kaitlyn Hunt, Statutory Rape & Queer Relationships: Activism runs in Urmi Basu's family; her grandfather was a doctor who set up a school for _dalit_ children (India's untouchable caste) in his own home. Urmi says her family "always challenged everything that's traditional in India." Thirteen years ago, she combined her passion for gender equality and her background and education in social work—along with 10,000 rupees, or $200—to found [New Light India](http://www.newlightindia.org/). New Light is non-profit organization based in the red light district of Calcutta, intended to help victims of sex trafficking and provide healthcare to people living with HIV/AIDS. With an estimated 40,000 new trafficked sex workers in the city each year, it's no small task. But Urmi is a woman of great determination. She was in Louisville recently and she sat down to talk with us about her work, and how sex trafficking in India is part of the larger globa by Strange Fruit

43 min listen

Strange Fruit #52: 'Tracking Fire' Documentary Tells Story of Deadly Anti-LGBTQ Attack in 1973: It's one of the deadliest attacks on LGBTQ people in U.S. history - and even if you're an activist or scholar, there's a good chance you've never heard of it. Louisville filmmaker Sheri L. Wright is bringing a story to light that can be difficult to hear. If you're up on your history, you know that in this country's history, it's often been unsafe for LGBTQ folks to gather and socialize. We all know about the bar raids and wrongful arrests that are part of our story. In her new documentary now in progress, [Tracking Fire](http://trackingfire.com/), Wright tells the story of the Upstairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans. In June of 1973, as the city was concluding its very first Pride celebration, someone [set fire to the club](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UpStairs_Lounge_arson_attack), killing over 30 people who were inside. Security bars on the windows made escape difficult - there was one by Strange Fruit

29 min listen

Strange Fruit #43: Linguistic Reclamation, Weaves in Church, and Louisville Humorist Tracy Clayton: Lately, many mainstream (read: white) media outlets have taken notice of [Black Twitter](http://www.theroot.com/the-chatterati). Often their approach seems almost anthropological. "How did this amazing phenomenon come about? Who are these people and what is their motivation?" But as Dr. Story says on this week's show, "Black people talk about political issues amongst themselves, and they have been for centuries. And they sometimes write about it too." To dissect Black Twitter and the media's response to it, we're joined this week by Tracy Clayton, aka @[BrokeyMcPoverty](https://twitter.com/brokeymcpoverty), who writes [The Root](http://www.theroot.com/)'s [Grapevine blog](http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the%20grapevine) and can also be found at [PostBourgie](http://www.postbourgie.com/). Tracy is one of the funniest voices on our timeline (in our opinion, and you know our opinion is never h by Strange Fruit

41 min listen

Strange Fruit #59: Going Home Gay for the Holidays: Even under the best of circumstances, the holidays can be stressful. For some LGBTQ people, Christmas also means deciding whether to go home to a family who doesn't fully embrace them. This week, we're re-posting a conversation we had around this time last year, with [Dr. Stephanie Budge](http://stage.louisville.edu/education/departments/ecpy/faculty/budge/budge.html) from UofL, who teaches workshops on coping with the holidays as an LGBTQ person. She said while some families do overtly antagonistic things (like using the wrong pronoun for trans folks, yelling, or refusing to let their LGBTQ family member bring a partner to holiday functions), what she hears about the most is simply ignoring. A person might come out as queer to their family, only for the response to be silence, and an unwillingness to acknowledge their identity. Dr. Budge gave us some coping strategies we can _all_ use during moments of holiday stress and family by Strange Fruit

15 min listen

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

38 min listen

Strange Fruit #40: Don Lemon Says Don't Litter!: While we spent the week celebrating Jai's birthday and recovering from [EOY](http://www.eoy.net/), CNN's Don Lemon was busy making people mad and [agreeing with Bill O'Reilly](http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/07/27/nr-lemon-no-talking-points.cnn.html). In our Juicy Fruit segment this week, we deconstruct his list of advice for black folks. The video is worth a watch, but if you're pressed for time, it boils down to pulling up your pants and not having babies out of wedlock. It was a disappointing reminder that just because someone's family doesn't make them immune to the lure of respectability politics. But as Doc said, he's certainly no [Boykin](http://keithboykin.com/) (and we did agree with him that littering is gross). Also this week we bring you part two of our chat with Louisville activist Carla Wallace, and author Chris Crass. Chris was in town recently to celebrate the release of his book, [Towards Collective by Strange Fruit

32 min listen

Strange Fruit #45: Why Would Straight Men Sleep With Men? Plus, Fairness in Frankfort!: This week, Frankfort became the fifth Kentucky city to [pass a fairness ordinance](http://wfpl.org/post/frankfort-becomes-fifth-kentucky-city-pass-fairness-ordinance), protecting LGBTQ folks from discrimination! We talk about it in our Juicy Fruit segment, along with the strange case of Tyler Perry [laying hands](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/tyler-perry-lays-hands-on-bishop-td-jakes-donates-1-million-youth-center_n_3860420.html) on T.D. Jakes, and what #[DonLemonLooksLike](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23donlemonlookslike&src=typd) with his new haircut. In our feature interview this week, we spoke with sex therapist [Dr. Joe Kort](http://www.straightguise.com/default.asp?id=1274), who got our attention with his recent article, [Why Some Straight Men Are Romantically or Sexually Attracted to Other Men](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-kort-phd/why-some-straight-men-are-romantically-o by Strange Fruit

36 min listen

Strange Fruit #39: New Basketball Camp Welcomes LGBTQ Kids; Chris Crass on Intersectional Activism: Miserable summer camp experiences are a staple in sitcoms and movies, where letters to home complain of mosquitos, inedible food, and obnoxious roommates. But for LGBTQ kids, the reality is often a lot less funny, and camp can be a scary place if you've been singled out as different. So teaming up with [GLSEN](http://www.glsen.org/)and with support from [NBA Cares](http://www.nba.com/cares/), friends to the show Darnell Moore and Wade Davis are [spearheading a brand new basketball camp this year](http://www.outsports.com/2013/6/25/4464174/nba-partners-with-you-belong-sports-leadership-camp-for-lgbt-youth)—one designed for LGBTQ kids and their allies. The camp is free and features a whole roster of NBA stars dropping by. It's called [YOU Belong: LGBTQA Youth Sports and Leadership Initiative](http://youbelonginitiative.com/), and Darnell took a few minutes on the eve of the camp's openin by Strange Fruit

43 min listen

Strange Fruit #80: Hands Up Don't Shoot: Fear in Ferguson, and at Home: Last Saturday, Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson shot an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown, multiple times, killing him. Since then, the situation in Ferguson has been ever changing. Protests and vigils were initially met with a heavy-handed response from the police, who were outfitted with paramilitary equipment that seemed disproportionate to the situation. Eventually, Missouri Governor Jay Dixon relieved the Ferguson PD of policing the situation, placing the town under control of the Missouri Highway Patrol. While all eyes are on Ferguson, the shooting of an unarmed black man by law enforcement is, sadly, a phenomenon that happens with alarming frequency all across the country. USA Today reported that on average there were 96 cases of a white police officer killing a black person each year between 2006 and 2012, based on justifiable homicides reported to the FBI by local police, and that n by Strange Fruit

29 min listen

Strange Fruit #64: African-American Voices in Classical Music: We're celebrating Black History Month on Strange Fruit, and so is our sister station, Classical 90.5. Their series, [African-American Voices](http://wuol.org/voices), runs throughout the month and highlights the contributions of black performers and composers in the world of classical music. WUOL's program director Daniel Gilliam joined us this week to talk about the series and play us some wonderful music from some of the featured artists. In our Juicy Fruit segment, we talked about trans activist Janet Mock's appearance on Piers Morgan Live, in which the host [made several comments](http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/07/_piers_morgan_s_janet_mock_interview_why_journalists_get_coverage_of_the.html) about how she "used to be a man" and was "born a boy" (online promotion of the segment was [similarly sensationalized](http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/transgender-advocate-janet-mock-piers-morgan-sensationalized), by Strange Fruit

47 min listen

Strange Fruit #42: Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney: Playwright [Tarell Alvin McCraney](http://www.steppenwolf.org/ensemble/members/details.aspx?id=54) has been called the next August Wilson. Maybe that can be partially attributed to the fact that there are so few prominent African American playwrights, but there's still no doubt he is carrying an important mantle. At age 33, he's already had plays debut at the Royal Court London, New York's Vineyard Theatre, the Young Vic, and Steppenwolf Theatre, where he is an artist in residence. In March, he received the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. We spoke to McCraney this week about his career, and how and why he writes about black gay life. He told us the real-life roots of some of his most famous works, and about working as August Wilson's assistant at Yale (including an unforgettable story about buying Wilson an iPod). In our Juicy Fruit segment this week, we had lots of news to cover: The #[solidarityisforwhitewomen](http://thehai by Strange Fruit

50 min listen

Strange Fruit #38: The Zimmerman Verdict: It's been a week since George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin. Most of us have spent this week reflecting, arguing, thinking, protesting, writing, organizing, praying, and unfriending people on social media. Yesterday, President Barack Obama [made a statement](http://uppitynegronetwork.com/2013/07/20/restoring-blackness-obamas-commentary-on-trayvon-martin/) about the verdict, outlining the effects of racism in America and on his own life. He was immediately accused by some of being divisive. Many prevailing voices are saying we need to move forward. That the system did its job, even if we don't like the result. They say Martin was partially to blame, while we ask [what he could have done differently](http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/closeread/2013/07/what-should-trayvon-martin-have-done.html). They say that talking about racism and systemic injustice just perpetuates division. They say they are colorblind, justice is colo by Strange Fruit

37 min listen

Strange Fruit #36: Yolo Akili's Love Letter to the Universe Affirms the Good in All of Us: A few months ago we had [an eye-opening conversation](http://wfpl.org/post/strange-fruit-yolo-akili-darnell-moore-gay-men-and-sexism) with author Yolo Akili about his article, [Gay Men's Sexism and Women's Bodies](http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/03/gay-mens-sexism-and-womens-bodies/). Today Yolo is back with us to talk about his new book, [Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment for All of Us](http://dearuniverse2013.com/). As always, Yolo is full of wisdom, and we hope he comes to Louisville one day and becomes Strange Fruit's official Life Coach. This week in Juicy Fruit we talk about an ugly incident that happened to one of our favorite people, [Dr. Brittney Cooper](http://www.brittneycooper.com/). Dr. Cooper wrote about the experience in a piece for Salon: [The N-word on the 4th of July](http://www.salon.com/2013/07/04/the_n_word_on_the_4th_of_july/). by Strange Fruit

37 min listen

Strange Fruit #54: 'Eenie Meanie' Examines Baby Boomer Racism & Louisville Busing Riots: "These buses came back from the West End with these little kids on them, and they were crying, there were windows knocked out. They had been beaten with baseball bats, they had been called every horrible racial name you can expect, right here in this town." It sounds like a scene we'd expect to see in the deep South, but this happened in Louisville in the middle of the 1970s, when public schools implemented the busing system. That's how performing artist Teresa Willis remembers it, and it makes up part of her one-woman show, [Eenie Meanie](http://eeniemeanie.com/). Because Louisville itself was so segregated, neighborhood schools were largely either black or white. Busing was designed to achieve greater diversity within school, but was met with resistance. "Racism really came out of the closet in my community," Teresa remembers. "There's crosses burning at the football field. Literally, we're at a by Strange Fruit

37 min listen

Strange Fruit #46: Locs of Love from Dr. Yaba Blay: Earlier this month, 7-year-old Tiana Parker was told that her locs were [considered an unacceptable hairstyle](http://youtu.be/EiNK4rOdhWc) in her African-American charter school. Word quickly spread among black feminist scholars, including friend-to-the-show Dr. Yaba Blay. What followed was a testament to the power of black women to uplift each other and celebrate the beauty of black girlhood. Dr. Blay assembled [a care package for Tiana](http://yabablay.com/a-care-package-for-tiana-locs-of-love/) which quickly got attention from thousands and thousands of people online, and has now been crafted into [an e-book](http://issuu.com/yabablay/docs/for_tiana_a_care_package__1_/1?e=3379385/4748283) for black girls. Dr. Blay joined us this week to tell us what moved her about this story, and how the project came to fruition. And in our Juicy Fruit segment, we talk about the South Carolina church whose black pastor requested that only white p by Strange Fruit

33 min listen

Strange Fruit #48: A Conversation with Trans Activist Janet Mock: Writer and activist [Janet Mock](http://janetmock.com) was living a successful life, working as a journalist, outside the spotlight, until a friend recommended her for a [profile in Marie Claire magazine](http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/relationship-issues/born-male). The article's publication had consequences that changed the course of her work, and life. "I didn't plan the role model part of it or the advocate part of it," she explains. "I think that all just kind of started. I realized after the piece came out that there was such a hunger to hear more about young trans women of color experiences. I think my writing just kind of went there because I think there was a need to hear more about that and I think there was also a need within myself to share more about parts of myself that I'd kept silent for so long." Janet's still a writer, but now she's also an activist - and one of the most recognizable faces in trans by Strange Fruit

26 min listen

Strange Fruit #51: Racist Halloween Costumes & Butch Queens Up in Pumps: If you've never been to a ball, you don't know what you're missing - but Dr. Marlon Bailey's book, [Butch Queens Up in Pumps](http://www.amazon.com/Butch-Queens-Pumps-Performance-Triangulations/dp/0472071963), is probably the next best thing. He takes us inside the ballroom scene in Detroit with an ethnography that examines how ball culture redefines ideas about gender, performance, and community. We spoke to Dr. Bailey this week about his work and what drew him to it, and he told us about his first time at a ballroom event and how it challenged all his previous assumptions about black gay culture. In our Juicy Fruit segment, it's Halloween week, and that means a lot of white folks will be out and about in blackface. We talk about what causes people to think that's okay, and why it never is (also check out Ohio University's campaign, [We're a Culture, Not a Costume](http://www.ohio.edu/orgs/stars/Poster_Campaign.h by Strange Fruit

30 min listen

Strange Fruit #53: Remaking 'Roots,' UofL's LGBTQ Center, and What's in a 'Black' Name?: Around this time last year, we spoke with Dr. Stephanie Budge about the challenges faced by [LGTBQ folks during the holidays](http://wfpl.org/post/strange-fruit-going-home-gay-holidays) - specifically college students. Some students who have come out while at school are no longer welcome at home, and for some, going back home means going back in the closet. This week we spoke with Brian Buford about how [the LGBTQ Center at UofL](http://louisville.edu/lgbt) tries to make the holidays a better time for the students under its care. Each year, they host a Thanksgiving potluck where all are welcome. To fund this and their other efforts, they have an annual event called [Feast on Equality](http://feastonequality.com/), which is coming up on November 22. In this week's Juicy Fruit, we talked about Kylie Austin, a biracial teenager who [changed her name](http://thegrio.com/2013/11/06/biracial-girl-changes by Strange Fruit

35 min listen

Strange Fruit #49: "The Book of Matt" author Stephen Jimenez: Stephen Jimenez went to Laramie, Wyoming in 2000, to write a screenplay about the murder of Matthew Shepard. He expected to be researching fairly open-and-shut case which had almost immediately become the national symbol for anti-gay hate crime. What he found, tucked away among the files, was an anonymous letter that would change the course of his work completely. "I was shocked to hear that Aaron McKinney's attorneys claimed gay panic in their defense," the letter began. "Aaron and Russ were quite familiar with gay guys and had frequented gay bars. They became aware of the fact that they had a valuable asset in their pants, and that gay guys would give them shelter, food, and money in return for a few minutes pleasure." The letter also named some mutual acquaintances of Matthew and Aaron, suggesting the two had known each other before the night of the crime, and casting doubt on the pickup-gone-wrong narrative that had been by Strange Fruit

59 min listen

Vintage Fruit: Does Your Mama Know? #TBT: On our very first episode EVER (September, 2012), we talked about how, when someone comes out of the closet in the black community, the first thing people ask is, "Does your mama know?" Until a person is out to their mama, they're not really 100% out. We had no idea what the show would become, so we were very experimental. That first week, Dr. Story took a recorder to campus and we made a montage of folks asking the question! by Strange Fruit

1 min listen

Strange Fruit #58: Filmmaker Michael Wolfe on Muslims in America: Documentary filmmaker [Michael Wolfe](http://www.upf.tv/index.php) is probably not the image that comes to mind when most people think "Muslim." In fact, he's a middle-aged white guy from Ohio. But he is a convert to Islam and has spent his career telling the stories of Muslims in America—a story that goes back further than you might think (there were Muslims in the USA during George Washington's lifetime, and of course, many enslaved Africans were Muslims). Stereotypes about Islam abound, and often intersect with other forms of bigotry, especially since 35% of American Muslims are African American. Wolfe was in Louisville recently, courtesy of the Pakistani-American Alliance for Compassion & Education, to speak about major Christian figures like Jesus, Moses and Mary and the role they play in Islamic theology. He stopped by our studios to tell us more about his work, including his film [Prince Among Slaves: The Cult by Strange Fruit

36 min listen

Strange Fruit #65: KY's Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Ruling; Essay Explores James Baldwin's Paris: As we were going into the studio to record this week's episode, news came down that [a court ruling had been announced](http://wfpl.org/post/kentucky-must-recognize-out-state-same-sex-marriages-federal-judge-rules), possibly shaping the future of same-gender marriage in Kentucky: District Judge John G. Heyburn wrote that refusing to recognize same-sex marriages from outside the state violates the U.S. constitution's equal protection clause. WFPL Political Editor Phillip M. Bailey joined us to talk about what exactly the ruling said, and what it could mean for marriage equality going forward. In our feature interview this week, we spoke to author and professor Ellery Washington, who recently wrote [an essay for the New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/travel/james-baldwins-paris.html?_r=0) about his experience retracing the steps of James Baldwin in Paris. We spoke with Ellery a by Strange Fruit

40 min listen

Strange Fruit # 61: Poet Laureate Frank X Walker on Social Justice Through Poetry: [Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evars](http://www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/turn_me_loose) has garnered Kentucky's Poet Laureate, Frank X Walker, a nomination for an [NAACP Image Award](http://www.naacpimageawards.net/nominees/literature/). He calls this book of 49 poems his finest work to date, and says it has an educational component along with its poetry. "The initial motivation was based on having a conversation with my students and finding out that they had no idea who Medgar Evers was." We spoke to Walker on this week's show about his life, his work, and what it means to be [Affrilachian](http://www.affrilachianpoets.org/). Our Juicy Fruit segment this week looks at the man who got in trouble for paying [too much child support](http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/texas_man_pays_child_support_debt_yet_still_headed_to_prison.html), the chef who wants to [ban babies](http://www by Strange Fruit

26 min listen

Keith Brooks Describes Being the Target of Anti-Gay Attack in Norway: Keith Brooks was waiting for a bus while on traveling in Oslo, Norway, when he was approached by two men who asked if he is gay. When he said yes, the men began to beat him, and a third man hit him with a bottle, cutting his face and head. Keith is a friend to the show, and our colleague at the Fairness Campaign. He joined us to describe what happened, and the aftermath—both legal and emotional. You can keep up with Keith and this story (and his many other travel adventures) on twitter at @keithbrooks. [Note: This interview is via Skype from Stockholm, Sweden, so please pardon our occasional audio glitches!] Coverage of the incident on Towleroad (warning: there's a photo of Keith's injury at the link): http://www.towleroad.com/2014/07/gay-man-attacked-with-glass-bottle-in-oslo-after-being-asked-if-he-is-gay.html by Strange Fruit

17 min listen

Strange Fruit #76: Who is an American? Jose Antonio Vargas on the Undocumented Experience: On this week's show, we talked to journalist and filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas about his latest film, [Documented](http://documentedthefilm.com/), his organization, [Define American](http://www.defineamerican.com/), and his experience as an undocumented person living in the United States. Vargas described how his intersecting identities have required him to come out of two closets - one of which was easier than the other: "For me, being vocal and open about being gay, knowing where I grew up in California, was much easier than outing myself as undocumented." We also explored the idea that our equality is tied to everyone else's equality - and that we have a long way to go. " This country invented white like it invented black. And now you have all these Latinos and Asian people - everybody's just confused," he explained. "I actually think that's why we're at this very seminal moment in american hi by Strange Fruit

29 min listen

Strange Fruit #63: Reclaiming the Story of African Americans in Appalachia; Black History Month!: 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](http://wfpl.org/post/strange-fruit-poet-laureate-frank-x-walker-social-justice-through-poetry), 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](http://www.amazon.com/Blacks-Appalachia-William-H-Turner/dp/081310162X) 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 by Strange Fruit

38 min listen

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Actors Theatre Leader Robert Barry Fleming

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