Jamilah Lemieux Keynote Speaker

Jamilah Lemieux is an award-winning writer, cultural critic, and leading voice in digital feminism, known for shaping online conversations around race, gender, and relationships as a pioneering blogger and her work across major media platforms. She rose to national prominence as a senior editor at Ebony, where she helped modernize the publication’s digital voice while bringing a bold Black feminist perspective into mainstream media. Lemieux has written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, The Nation, Essence and The Cut, among many others. She was prominently featured in the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly and Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, as well as Secrets of Playboy, contributing to broader cultural conversations around power, media, and accountability. Lemieux also penned the foreword for anniversary editions of Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman and Miss Muriel and Other Stories.

Her debut book, Black Single Mother, is a bold, deeply researched, and emotionally resonant exploration of one of the most misunderstood identities in America. Blending cultural criticism, history, media analysis, and personal reflection, Lemieux challenges the stereotypes that have shaped public conversations about Black single motherhood for decades while offering a more nuanced, compassionate, and intellectually rigorous perspective. The book speaks not only to the lived experiences of single mothers but also to anyone interested in gender, race, family, and how narratives are constructed and reinforced. It’s a powerful, conversation-starting read that invites thoughtful dialogue, reflection, and a deeper understanding of motherhood, resilience, and the cultural forces that shape how women are seen. 

Lemieux’s previous speaking appearances include panels, keynotes, and hosting duties at the University of Michigan, Columbia University, Vassar College, Howard University, SXSW Interactive, Georgetown University, NYU, the Brooklyn Museum, the Studio Museum, Long Island University, Penn State, Morehouse College, Stanford University, Emory University, the Claremont Colleges, the University of Iowa, Washington University in St. Louis, Harvard University and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.