LIVE from NYPL, Pride Month: Queer Love in Color: Jamal Jordan with Blair Imani

The former New York Times multimedia journalist shares his photographic celebration of the love and relationships of queer people of color. 

"In 2018, Jamal Jordan wrote in The New York Times, "As a visual journalist, I believe pictures can connect with people in a way that other forms of media can't. To this end, I decided to give a gift to my younger self: the imagery of queer love I've never seen. Queer love in color." Jordan expanded that vision into his new book, which offers an intimate look at what it means to live at the intersections of queer and POC identities today, and honors an inclusive vision of love, affection, and family across the spectrum of gender, race, and age. Featuring photographs and stories of couples and families across the United States and around the world, the collection shows the world "what true love looks like."

Jamal Jordan speaks with Blair Imani about Queer Love in Color and its lifting up of the truth that there is no one way to love. 

This event is presented as the annual conversation on photography generously underwritten by Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos.

The program will be streamed live on this page. If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android
• Purchase: The Library Shop — proceeds benefit the New York Public Library

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Jamal Jordan shared a list of books that influenced his writing process for Queer Love in Color via The Daily Beast earlier this month. The books are a great mix of photography, activism, and explorations of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC life, by mostly queer/BIPOC authors:

• Real Life by Brandon Taylor — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare
• Severance by Ling Ma — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare
• The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward by Author — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones — NYPL Catalog ; NYPL Talking Books ; Bookshare
• The Americans by Robert Frank by Author — NYPL Catalog

Also check out these titles by Blair Imani:

• Making Our Way Home by Blair Imani — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare
• Modern HERstory by Blair Imani — NYPL Catalog ; Bookshare

Jamal Jordan is a mixed-media documentarian  and occasional professor. He's worked with Vice News, NBC News, and, most recently, The New York Times (where the Queer Love in Color adventure began).

Blair Imani is a critically-acclaimed historian, social activist, public speaker, educator and influencer. She is the author of two historical books Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History (2018) and Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream (2020). The New York Times praises Blair Imani's unique "brand combining progressive lessons with vibrant visuals and a perky, quirky delivery." Her work centers women and girls, global Black communities, and the LGBTQ community. As an influencer and historian, semi-retired organizer, and public speaker, Blair Imani is dedicated to making the world a better place and amplifying the voices and work of those fighting the good fight. 

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LIVE from NYPL is made possible by the support of Library patrons and friends, as well as by the continuing generosity of Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, and the Margaret and Herman Sokol Public Education Endowment Fund.