Contribute a Pitch
The Dalit Project commissions independent Dalit journalists directly, piece by piece — not through institutional partnership or syndication with an existing outlet. If you have a specific piece in mind, we want to hear it. We also welcome pitches from Bahujan and Adivasi writers on the shared terrain where caste bears on both communities — the POA Act, land dispossession, exclusion from state power — written from your own standpoint, not as a stand-in for a Dalit one.
What we publish
- Analysis — argued structural analysis of a live issue.
- Explainers — shorter, accessible breakdowns of a policy, ruling, or event.
- Opinion — bylined argument, shorter than a full analysis piece.
- In Their Own Words — first-person, community-authored accounts, lightly edited for clarity and safety, never ghostwritten or restructured into a different voice.
- Data & Research — original analysis of existing datasets (census, NCRB, NFHS, government reports) or accessible synthesis of academic research, read through an Ambedkarite standpoint rather than presented as neutral.
What makes a strong pitch
A pitch that names the specific caste power relation at the center of the piece will move faster than one that gestures at "inequality" generally. Tell us:
- What specific structure, policy, or event the piece examines, and why now.
- Who the piece is grounded in — a source, a community, or your own account, if it's In Their Own Words. We don't run reported or analysis pieces with no Dalit voice in them.
- Roughly which of the eight verticals it belongs to (see the site's main navigation).
- Your own background, briefly — including your own community position where relevant.
We're not looking for pieces that treat caste as a footnote to a poverty or crime story, or that quote a Dalit person for texture while an institutional voice does the actual explaining. We're looking for the reverse.
Safety and anonymity
We take seriously that some of what we publish comes from people reporting on caste atrocities from inside India, while The Dalit Project itself operates from outside it. Pseudonyms and anonymity are available on request — tell us upfront what you need, and we'll work out the details before anything is drafted, not after.
Compensation
Contributors are commissioned on a freelance, per-piece basis. We'll discuss payment directly once a pitch is accepted — this is a small, founder-funded outlet at this stage, and we're upfront about that going in.
How to pitch
Email pitches@dalitproject.org with your idea, your background, and (if you have one) a writing sample. A few sentences is enough to start a conversation — you don't need a finished draft to pitch.