February 14 is Valentine’s Day, a holiday no greeting card company, flower shop or candy maker will soon let you forget. The day before doesn’t get as much attention but it’s also a cause for celebration: Black Love Day. Created to exemplify love, forgiveness and acceptance in the Black community, the holiday is getting lots of buzz on BLK, the world’s largest dating app for Black singles, which has tripled in membership since 2020 when Jonathan Kirkland took over as head of marketing and brand. “BLK is a resource for the community since there’s no other app that serves the Black community at scale,” he says.

The same thing goes for all types of relationships, like polyamory for example

As the man leading the charge for the fast-growing network, Kirkland is somewhat of an expert in all things dating, and someone you especially want to hear from on Black Love Day and Valentine’s Day eve. Here, he gives us his take on the state of Black love, what trends he’s seeing in online dating and how to make your profile truly stand out from the rest. This interview has been condensed for clarity.

I’d say Black love is growing. It’s always prevailed through time. It’s resilient. You see, when I think about Black love, it’s more than just romance. It’s really about the communitying together as a community, that’s a form of loveing together romantically, that’s another form of love. Read More >