Mary-Jayne Blackmore is one of the oldest children of Winston Blackmore, the most famous polygamist in Canada. 

For decades, her family has been the subject of intense media and legal scrutiny because of her father’s 27 wives and 150 children. Their lives have been dissected in documentaries and in court testimony.

The name Blackmore has become synonymous with either faith-based persecution by the state or with cult-like religious fundamentalism that victimizes girls and women.

But for Mary-Jayne, these kinds of black-and-white portrayals miss so much about what it’s been like being a Blackmore.

To learn more:

Balancing Bountiful: What I Learned About Feminism From My Polygamist Grandmothers by Mary Jayne Blackmore

The Bishop of Bountiful B.C. by the CBC’s Fifth Estate

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Additional music from Audio Network

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