First Person - Vox

First Person

First Person

Vox's home for compelling, provocative narrative essays.

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Navigating the wreckage

by Elizabeth Brico and Nicole Eugene

They were opioid addicts on their way to recovery. Then the hurricane hit.

by Elizabeth Brico

I helped sign immigrants up for DACA. Their biggest fear has come true.

by R. Andrew Free September 6

DREAMers like me have flourished under DACA. Trump might take it all away.

by Juan Escalante August 31

After Katrina, I fled to Houston. Now I'm reliving the nightmare.

by Nicole Eugene August 31

I used to lead tours at a plantation. You won’t believe the questions I got about slavery.

"Did the slaves here appreciate the care they got from their mistress?" one woman asked, pinchedly.

by Margaret Biser August 28

9 questions with Sarah Perry

by Sean Illing August 26

"Wine. Immediately." The depressing reason so many women drink.

by Kristi Coulter August 25

I took calls for unemployment benefits at the end of the recession. It was devastating.

by Donyae Coles August 24

Experts agree: Don’t avoid political conversations with family members

by Kelly Swanson August 22

Don’t call all American white supremacists “Nazis.” Their ideology of hate is homegrown.

by Lindsey E. Jones August 18

I'm a black Southerner. I had to go abroad to see a statue celebrating black liberation.

by Samuel Sinyangwe August 17

We asked aspiring women coders what they thought of the Google memo. Here’s what they said.

by Kelly Swanson August 10

I was pregnant while addicted to heroin. Methadone saved my baby’s life.

by Elizabeth Brico August 9

76% of all inmates end up back in jail within 5 years. Here’s how I broke the cycle.

by Marian Hatcher August 8

What it’s like to be 13 and have your mom detained in an immigration raid

by Byrd Pinkerton August 7

How Trump's latest affirmative action move uses the Asian "model minority" as a prop

by Robert L. Reece August 4

I got kicked out of the military for my identity. Why does Trump want to repeat history?

by Saundra Mitchell August 1

I'm a pro-choice activist. Democrats cannot waver on abortion rights.

by Ilyse Hogue July 31

I’m a proud Eagle Scout. In one speech, Trump undermined the work we do.

by Zach Wahls July 27

I was a cop in Australia. We don't shoot the people we're sworn to protect.

by Terry Goldsworthy July 27

Thousands of women try to make a living blogging and vlogging. Most fail.

by Gaby Dunn July 25

My best friend and I bonded over our fatness. Then she got skinny.

by Your Fat Friend July 25

Black women have been calling out R. Kelly for years. Nobody listened.

by Feminista Jones July 21

$330,000 in financial aid bought me a slot in the American meritocracy. Now I see its flaws.

by Andrew Granato July 20

Betsy DeVos met with men’s rights groups about campus rape. As a survivor, I’m terrified.

by Mahroh Jahangiri July 19

What it’s like being the only black contestant on The Bachelor

by Lindsay Smith July 17

Trump put family first when I worked for him. It was disastrous.

by Jack O’Donnell July 14

Why aren’t politicians doing more on climate change? Maybe because they’re so old.

by Sydney Sauer July 14

I got doxxed by a stranger — and the online harassment quickly took over my life

by Rebecca Scheffler July 13

I was a Marine. I can’t be silent about the sexual harassment I faced anymore.

by Kate Hendricks Thomas July 12

Why you shouldn't call what Rob Kardashian did “revenge porn”

by Clare McGlynn July 10

The strangeness of being a Latina who loves hiking

by Amanda Machado July 10

I shared my toddler's hospital bill on Twitter. First came supporters — then death threats.

by Alison Chandra July 7

Our 300-year love affair with advice columns

by Alison Green July 4

It’s Alive! Trump’s horror at living, bleeding women

by Anne T. Donahue July 1

9 questions with Henry Rollins

by Sean Illing July 1

In search of Forrest Fenn's treasure

by Zachary Crockett June 30

I was a lobbyist for more than 6 years. I quit. My conscience couldn’t take it anymore.

by Jimmy Williams June 29

I was pulled out of my wheelchair by police. It could be worse. Trumpcare could pass.

by Stephanie Woodward June 28

The NRA hardly cares about black gun owners like me. Philando Castile proves that.

by Louis Dennard June 27

"I hate being a refugee": a Somali mother on the newly reinstated travel ban

by Kainaz Amaria June 26

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