Black Women & Polyamory

Exploring Misconceptions & Cultural Realities across Intimacies

In recent years, polyamory has gained increased recognition as a valid and fulfilling way of loving for many individuals. Defined as the capacity to love multiple individuals simultaneously, polyamory is not simply about having multiple sexual relationships; rather it is seen as offering a unique "lovestyle" that fosters comfort and security. However, while there's an increasing presence of Black women in polyamorous popular culture narratives (e.g. Willow Smith, Janelle Monte's Only have Eyes 42, Seeking Brother Husband), research on Black women's experiences remains limited. This work is needed to address the societal judgments, stigmatizing attitudes and misconceptions- all of which can add an additional layer of complexity to Black women's experiences.

Jenn M. Jackson (they/them) is a queer, androgynous Black woman, an abolitionist, a lover of all Black people, and an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University in the Department of Political Science. Jackson’s research is in Black Politics with a focus on Black Feminist movements, racial threat and trauma, gender and sexuality, policing, and political behavior. They are the author of Black Women Taught Us and Policing Blackness. Through their research and activism, Dr. Jackson is shedding light on the lived experiences of Black women in polyamorous relationships, and dispelling misconceptions to foster more inclusive conversations about love and intimacy.

To learn more about Dr. Jackson, click here.

Twitter/IG/Bluesky/Facebook/Linkedin: @jennmjacksonphd

Works by Dr. Jackson:

• Why Civically Engaged Research? Understanding and Unpacking Researcher Motivations

• Private Selves as Public Property: Black Women’s Self-Making in Contemporary Moment

• Black Feminisms, Queer Feminisms, Trans Feminisms: Meditating on Pauli Murray, Shirley Chisholm, and Marsha P. Johnson against the Erasure of History

  
  

Season 1, Episode 9

Running Time:  36 minutes