We know there's endless diversity within the black experience and endless stories that are best told by the people who live them. For My Thing Is, a personal-essay franchise featuring members of The Root's community, we want yours.
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Do you have a complicated identity or an unusual background? A fascinating career or an inspirational path to success? A weird hobby? A jaw-dropping confession? A hilarious adventure? A life that defies stereotypes or illuminates an under-addressed experience?
Tell us about it.
This is not an op-ed but a personal essay. So be yourself. Make us cry, make us laugh or fascinate us. Tell us, in your own voice, why your story matters.
Send pieces of no more than 700 words, plus a one-sentence biography, contact information, your Twitter handle and a photo of yourself, to [email protected].
We'll contact you if we select your story for publication.
Previously in My Thing Is:
"The World Insists That I'm 'Exotic,' but I Just Want to Be Black"
"Confessions of a Black Brooklyn Gentrifier"
"In Defense of the Sensitive Black Man"
"How an HBCU Prepared Me for Harvard"
"This Is What It's Like to Be a Black Female NFL Agent"
Straight From 
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