Writing: Race?

I heard in passing a controversy popped up where some white male author wrote a black character. I don’t know the details. It was a “modern novel” where someone is trying to be the next great American Novel or something. I don’t know how prominent the black character even is in the book.

But it definitely got me thinking.

One of the reasons I do prefer sci-fi and fantasy as a writer is I can either address or avoid the painful issues that we face in the real world. I could have an ogre that faces discrimination or violence or whatever. As long as I don’t make such a stark stereotype between “ogre” and “minority” I don’t think I’m crossing the line. I don’t think.

Now, I will entirely accept that if I make an ogre who plays jazz music, obsesses over fried chicken, and talks in some sort of Brooklyn cadence…. ok then I’m being bleeping racist. I’m playing the steroetypes so strong that everyone will know ogre = American black person. That is wrong. That is racist.

That said, I don’t think it’s right to say I, a healthy, white, cis woman, can never include a person of color. Or a man. Or a disabled person. Should such a character be my protagonist? Maybe not. This is where I think it gets hard. And I do mean herculean level challenge. If I am writing a lesbian and I make her a crass stereotype, I’m being discriminitory, not a good writer.

I don’t think that means I should never write a lesbian, but my character who-happens-to-be-a-lesbian needs to be a character. Well-rounded. Realistic. Full. This should be the goal with most characters. They need to have a life between the pages (under the spine is my phrase). The reader needs to be able to imagine what that character is doing when they aren’t on the page.

I am currently re-reading the Hearstriker series by Rachel Aaron. The protagonist is a male. White-ish? Maybe? It’s not perfectly defined. She’s pretty good about not stressing race of the characters (and really, there are dragons in human guise). But Rachel is a woman, should she be allowed to write a man? JK Rowling was a woman – was Harry Potter bad (character, not the writer)?

And again, there is an element of “stereotypes exist for a reason.” Having a black character in my novel who talks like an aristicratic English person but they were raised in Lousiana – that’s honestly just as racist because I’m not being true to who that person would be. They are again unrealistic and a pitiful rendition.

Lastly, there is the tried-and-true question to ask – WHY. Does the person need to be black (or lesbian or disabled)? Or am I just adding that trait in order to enforce some kind of diversity in the writing? I am not in the camp “never ever,” but it should be done with thought and care.