The Black Atlantic is a new project at The Republic that showcases nuanced, human stories centered on blackness and Black identities from Africa and the African diaspora. Our editors are looking, first and foremost, for stories—compelling, moving narratives from around the world on what it means to be Black today. We want to read personal essays about, essentially, everything Black—with an emphasis on food, personal history, relationships, travel (or migration) and sexuality. We expect such essays to revolve around a big life event (or decision) the writer is trying to unpack.
Most importantly, we want original, true stories that are rooted in specific places and offer fresh voices and perspectives. Some prompts you may consider for inspiration (this list is non-exhaustive):
- Travelling across borders to reconnect with family
- Revisiting the music of your childhood
- Your last day of high school / university
- Raising a child / starting a family
- Your relationship with your parents
- Being ‘sent back to Africa’ as a form of discipline
- Navigating beauty standards
- Falling in love
- Coming out to Black parents
- Your relationship with food
To submit a Black Atlantic essay, select The Black Atlantic on our submissions form when you visit our submissions page. We’re expecting essays of 1,500 – 1,800 words. Essays will go through our standard editorial process and all selected writers will be paid for published work⎈
We want to hear what you think about this new column. For questions or comments write to [email protected].