Need help writing an African American character

Pretty much what the title says. I’m not a poc so I want to make sure I do the character justice. If anyone who is of color has any tips or info. it would be greatly appreciated

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Hi! Thanks for reaching out! What do you need help with?

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I guess some do’s and don’ts if you can think of any

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The Do’s and Dont’s of Writing Black Characters :heartbeat:

DONT
• Write Black/Brown characters for the sake of being the MC’s best friend
• Tokenize your Black/Brown Characters
• Fetishize Black/Brown characters
• Create “White People of Color”
• Create tan LI’s with straight hair
• Give Black/Brown characters incorrect features (e.g. Blue eyes,)
• Expect an award for including a character of color
• Write Black/Brown characters in a “forbidden love” trope with a White MC/LI! It’s weird, and fetish-like!
• Write stereotypes (e.g. The illiterate black kid, “Ghetto” black girl, The hispanic maid, The sexy latina, The Spanish Only Speaker, The smart asian)

DO
• Further develop your Black/Brown characters
• Research on different cultures
• Be creative!
• Avoid using stereotypes

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Moved to Share Feedback since this is about story and character ideas. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. :wink:

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