'How to Write Black Characters' Blog Post – Share Your Advice

I’m only half black too, but I connect more to my black side anyways, so I guess I’ll give my input.

I dislike the stereotype that all black characters are “sassy”, “rude”, “ghetto”, and “dumb”. This is not only harmful but simply untrue. Black people don’t have only one personality, and can be rude, kind, smart, dumb, weird, unique, normal, boring, strong, weak, idiotic, light-hearted, or any other personality trait.

Also, colorism. Refer to this thread by @ForeverAngel for more info. But basically, light skins are stereotypes as being “feminine” while dark skins are stereotyped as being “aggressive”. Both are stupid for different reasons.

I had a classmate once tell me that black people can’t be part of the LGBTQ+ community. This is false for obvious reasons. Black men can be gay, and black women can be lesbian, or anywhere in between. It’s no different for non black people.

If you’re going to write a black character, don’t make them as the main character’s tell-it-like-it-is friend for diversity points. Not only is it overused, but it’s stereotyping black women as well. Why not make your main character black? Or make your best friend black, but don’t make her have the same copy and paste personality in all of these stories.

My thoughts on this. I don’t usually stay that active in the writing section, but I thought I’d give it a go :upside_down_face: :sweat_smile:

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