Strange Fruit

After spending January looking back at some of our favorite conversations, we're back this week with a brand new episode — and we have a lot of hot topics to catch up on! So this week, we're doing an all-Juicy-Fruit episode, and we're joined by PR guru and friend-to-the-show, Walter Walker (you might remember him from WFPL's 2013 Defining Fairness series: http://wfpl.org/life-without-labels-walter-w-walker-ii-defining-fairness/). We talk about a Huffington Post article last week by Mike Alvear, which looked at racial dynamics in gay porn. The piece, "Why Are Whites Always the Bottom in Interracial Porn?" says the porn industry caters to white people, who they say are their highest-paying customers. We talk about the ways in which we're socialized to view black men as hypersexual and aggressive, and how those images are perpetuated (and even exaggerated) in the fantasy world of porn. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-alvear/why-are-whites-always-the_b_6503674.html) We also talk about the Ghostbuste

Everyone knows that gay men sleep with men, and straight men sleep with women. Right? On this week's show, we learn it’s not always that simple. Today we’re listening back to a conversation we had with Dr. Joe Kort. He’s a sex and relationship therapist based in Detroit, and when we talked in September 2013, he’d just had an article published at the Huffington Post about why straight-identified men sometimes have sex with other men. In it, he shares a whole list of reasons why this phenomenon might happen. These reasons are by turns predictable (they’re in prison with no access to women), poignant (they seek to replace the affection they didn’t get from their fathers), hilarious (narcissism!) and taboo (we’re pretty sure this was the first time the word cuckholding has been uttered on Strange Fruit). It was a fascinating conversation and Dr. Kort shed some light on a lot of things. (NOTE: This conversation includes some blunt talk about human sexuality, and some discussion of sexual abuse —if that’s not somet

When you think about the current state of trans activism, the name Janet Mock is probably at the top of your mind. But there was a time when Mock was living a relatively low-profile life, working as a journalist outside the spotlight… until a friend recommended her for a profile in Marie Claire magazine. The article’s publication changed the course of her work, and life—lucky for all of us. "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 advocacy. In many ways, she's become t

Throughout the month of January, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations from the first 100 episodes of our show. Here's one of our favorites, a conversation with writer and activist Darnell Moore. Darnell co-authors the Huffington Post’s Tongues Untied blog, along with Wade Davis. He was most recently on the show when he co-organized the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson. But today we’re listening to our very first conversation with Darnell, when he spoke to us about how early experiences in his life lead him to embrace social justice activism and to work against domestic violence. He spoke to us about how early experiences in his life lead him to embrace social justice activism and anti-domestic violence work. “I’ve been haunted, and in a very good way, by Audre Lorde’s notion of: What did you come here to do? What is your work?” Darnell says. “And when that work finds you, we have no choice but to respond.” Some of Darnell’s work focuses on black theology and black Christian thought—p

Earlier this week, Actors Theatre began its run of a show called “The Brothers Size,” by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. “The Brothers Size” is part of McCraney’s trilogy, “The Brother/Sister Plays,” which explore ideas of freedom and tradition, influenced by Yoruban mythology and storytelling. McCraney has been called the next August Wilson. That can be partially attributed to the fact that there are so few prominent African American playwrights, no doubt, but either way, he's carrying an important mantle. At age 33, he'd 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. This week, we revisit our conversation with McCraney from August of 2013, when we spoke about about "The Brothers Size" and how it mirrors his own roots, and why he’s drawn to tell the stories he tells. In Juicy Fruit, the Cosby saga continues, this week with Phylicia Rashad and Keisha Knight Pulliam commenting that the allegations d

It's our 100th episode! We're celebrating this week by looking back at our humble beginnings, and ahead to the future. This week you'll learn about some of the show titles we considered instead of Strange Fruit, take listener questions, and hear some behind-the-scenes conversations and some things that never made it on the air. You sent us lots of great questions about our favorite episodes, advice for a white professor teaching African-American Lit, and how we hope the world has changed by the time we record our 200th episode (Marriage equality in all 50 states? Louisville's first woman or person of color mayor?). We loved your questions so much we might just make it a regular feature! And as most of our loyal fruitcakes know, Jai and Doc had never worked in radio before (Jaison is a community organizer and Kaila is a college professor), and there was a bit of a learning curve when we first started out. So of course, our anniversary show wouldn't be complete without a listen to the blooper reel! Thanks to th

The Cabbage Patch Settlement House provides all kinds of programming for at-risk kids in Louisville—tutoring, clubs, sports, music, college preps and scholarships, and even emotional counseling. And a recent grant from the Humana Foundation means they'll be opening their doors on Saturdays, too. We wanted to learn more about the Patch and what they do, so this week we talked to Executive Director Tracy Holladay, and Educational Opportunities Specialist Kanisha Ford, about the history of the house (it was founded in 1910 by a 19-year-old woman named Louise Marshall), and the work they do. Settlement houses were part of the settlement movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and were built in poor urban areas to provide daycare, healthcare and education to those who couldn't afford it. Many of these folks were immigrants who needed help "settling" and succeeding in their new homes, and assistance from the government was scarce. Immigrants also played a role in the Cabbage Patch getting its name; ac

Even under the best of circumstances, the holidays can be stressful. For some queer folks, they also mean deciding whether to go home to a family who doesn’t fully embrace them. This time of year, we like to listen back to a conversation we had with Dr. Stephanie Budge, who has taught 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 conflict, how to take full advantage of your chosen family’s love when your family of origin doesn’t support you, and how to tell when things are so unhealthy or unsafe it might be better to

Last week, a PR firm in Austin, Texas came under fire for their use of the name Strange Fruit. This company was focused on promoting food & drink companies, did not have a social justice mission, and was run by two white ladies who knew about the Billie Holiday song, but didn't think it was too important. They responded in the Austin-American Statesman: "We thought the name would be perfect for a hospitality PR firm that specializes in food and drink. We of course Googled to ensure that it was not taken elsewhere, and found the Billie Holiday song online. Thinking it would have nothing to do with our firm, and since it was written in 1939 it wouldn't be top of mind in the public consciousness. We now know we were naive to think that, and should have known better." The changed their name to Perennial PR, but after making such a big PR blunder themselves, who knows what their future may hold. (you can read the whole story here: http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2014/12/_strange_fruit_pr_f

The end of 2014 is upon us, and that means every outlet is publishing Best-of lists. We weren't too impressed with the Wall Street Journal's Best Pop Culture Moments last week, but one list we can get behind is the American Dialect Society's nominees for 2014 Words of the Year. Like most cultural phenomena, lots of language has its roots in subcultures - including some from gay black culture. One of the words on the list is yass, an affirmation audiences have been screaming at house ball contestants for years, that made its way into mainstream usage with a little help from Nicki Minaj. Social justice movements and hashtags also help coin new words and phrases; this year they gave us Gamergate, columbusing, and #notallmen (and its response, #yesallwomen). Grant Barrett is an officer with the American Dialect Society, and compiles their list of linguistic contenders every year. He joins us this week to talk about 2014's nominees and where they came from. He also sheds a little light on the more inexplicable (to

Louisville is looking pretty good this week! We recently got a 66% on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index—higher than the national average of 59%, and the highest rating of any city in Kentucky. The index looks at factors like non-discrimination laws, domestic partner benefits, openly gay elected officials, and more, and largely finds cities leading the way in the US, while states sometimes lag behind. This week we're joined by Cathryn Oakley of the HRC, who tells us more about the methodology, and how this year's study compares to previous years. In Juicy Fruit, we cover more Louisville news: WFPL health reporter Ja'Nel Johnson sits in to tell us about an encouraging story from the University of Louisville medical school. It will be the first med school in the nation to include specific instruction on treating LGBTQ patients. In other hot (and medical) topics, an employee of Norton Healthcare was fired after her racist facebook post went viral (including a share from our own Jaison Gardner,

The Wall Street Journal's arts & entertainment blog, The Speakeasy, released its list of The 15 Best Pop Culture Moments of 2014. Some we totally got (the Oscar selfie, "Adele Dazeem," Pharrell's hat), and others we barely even registered this year (President Obama on Between Two Ferns, Katy Perry dressing as a Cheeto, something about Sharknado 2?). We didn't have time to include it all in this week's show, so the pop culture moments conversation is bonus fruit this week! The third voice you hear on this segment is WFPL's Ja'Nel Johnson, who was sitting in this week to tell us about the UofL med school including specific training on treating LGBTQ patients. (Photo from The Speakeasy)

Thanksgiving is over, so now even the Scroogiest Fruitcakes have to admit it's not too early to put on some Christmas tunes! This week we talk about our favorite holiday music and movies, listen to some songs, and Dr. Story shares her philosophy on holiday decorating: "My favorite color is glitter." We're also joined in the studio by Jeff Buhrman, formerly of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C., who is now the artistic director of VOICES of Kentuckiana. VOICES is Louisville's LGBTQ chorus. We talked to Jeff about their upcoming holiday program (Holiday Magic, December 6 & 7 at the Clifton Center), and about the power of music to forge communities and change lives. We have two pairs tickets to give away to the VOICES concert, too! Leave us a comment with a holiday song you love, and we'll throw your name in the drawing!

Councilwoman Attica Scott and attorney Lucie Brooks join us for a conversation about the Grand Jury's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown. We also talk about media coverage of the ensuing protests in Ferguson, and what could happen next. (Photo by Brandon Herring/@bmorestyle)

"In the East End, there's dance everywhere. In the West End, you don't see that." John O. Keen, artistic director of Keen Dance Theater, is taking on the 9th Street Divide (and the race divide, and the economic divide) in the world of dance. After eleven years in New York, the Louisville native returned home to start his own dance troupe, with lessons affordable to low-income dancers, and a focus on diversity in casting and story telling. Keen joins us this week to talk about how embracing dancers of difference races, body types, backgrounds, and training levels creates a stronger ensemble. And in Juicy Fruit, Salon's Erin Keane sits in to talk about the allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby - and all the victim blaming in their wake, both in casual conversation and in the media. CNN's Dom Lemon, for example, questioned a victim about why she didn't use her teeth to fight off Cosby after she's allegedly been drugged. When Janice Dickinson told her story to Entertainment Tonight, the first

You know you've skirted a line when the White House officially distances itself from a joke you made at the Correspondents' Dinner. Wanda Sykes had that experience after suggesting that Rush Limbaugh was the the 20th hijacker on 9/11 but was too high on Oxycontin to make his flight. She followed it up by saying she hoped his kidneys fail—a play on Limbaugh's statement that he hoped the Obama Administration would fail. "I kind of regret that I said that," she confessed on this week's show. "It got in the way of the main joke. I hope his kidneys fail—that was like a throwaway line, and I wish I had thrown it away. It overshadowed what my main point was." Sykes will perform Saturday night at the Louisville Palace. She joined us this week to talk about the fine line between edginess and offensiveness. We also talked about her charity work with the Ruth Ellis Center, a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth in Detroit. We also talked about her famous sketch, imagining what it would be like if she's h

Coming up on Saturday's show: Comedy legend Wanda Sykes! Plus, hip-hop scholar Mickey Hess, who co-authored a new biography of Ol' Dirty Bastard with Dirty's best friend, Buddha Monk.

"We call it a prison within a prison." That's how advocates describe the lives of incarcerated Deaf and hard of hearing people. The vast majority of correctional facilities have no ASL interpreters, and it's not unusual for inmates who rely on hearing aids to be denied the devices—or denied batteries to make them work. Talila Lewis is the founder of HEARD (Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf), and joins us this week to talk about the work they're doing to try to improve the lives and ensure the rights of incarcerated folks with disabilities. Lewis says the ableism in mainstream society is magnified in the prison setting. "If you don't respond to an auditory command, you get shot or beaten or put into solitary confinement," Lewis explains. "Everything around you is based on sound. So if you miss the bell at 4am to get up and go eat, you miss chow. That's it." Being Deaf or hard of hearing in prison essentially means being unable to communicate with anyone around you.

Civil Rights educator john a. powell will be in Louisville on November 11th to deliver the 8th annual Anne Braden Memorial Lecture, and he joins us this week to talk about his concept of a "culture of belonging," and the problems with a so-called colorblind approach to policy and interpersonal relationships. "Most Americans, including most white Americans, even if they don't see race or try not see race at the conscious level, the unconscious is seeing it and acting on it and processing it in a very robust way," he explains. "So in a sense we don't even have a choice." And WFPL's Jake Ryan joins us to help unpack the results of the Louisville Metro Police Department's racial profiling study. The findings were called inconclusive, and they also only included traffic stops—perhaps missing more frequent ways black residents interact with police. In our Juicy Fruit segment, it's time for another annual event: the naming and shaming of racist Halloween costumes and displays (this year

This week in Juicy Fruit, we of course talk about Annie Lennox, who released a cover of the iconic Billie Holiday song "Strange Fruit" in the same week she weighed in on Beyoncé's right to claim feminism. Later in the week, she gave an interview to Tavis Smiley in which she managed to explain the meaning of our titular song without even using the words black, African American, or lynching. And Ebola coverage remains wall-to-wall in the media, but how does the fear of the disease tie in to deep-seated fear of what was once called "the Dark Continent," and ideas about the "other" being scary and dangerous? Shonda Rhimes also gets a shout out for her no-nonsense dismissal of a twitter user's complaint that there are too many "gay scenes" in her shows. And for our feature interview, we speak with Erika DeSimone, co-editor of Voices Beyond Bondage: An Anthology of Verse by African Americans of the 19th Century. Often when we think of black Americans in that period, we think