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 - 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 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, 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 from Keisha after she was bullied by classmates. We also talked about the fascinating Chirlane McCray, wife of NYC's mayor-elect Bill DiBlasio. In the late '70s, she came out as a lesbian woman of color. The different phases of her public life nicely illustrate the fluidity of sexual identity and desire. We've also heard tell that the History Channel is planning to remake Roots, and our burning question is, who will be in the cast? Who would you cast, Fruitcakes?