Here are some interesting tidbits from Tumblr. I hope these are informative.
I was wondering what kind of female black characters do people want to see more of? Like, them being soft or selfish?
Black Girls & Women: Representation We Want
As a Black woman reader, I definitely want to see more soft Black girls and women in literature. Girls with their own self-interests (caring about oneself isn’t necessarily selfish) and not always someone else’s caregiver is great too.
Here’s my list!
More Black girls…
- In love
- With close family bonds and healthy relationships and support systems (that don’t require enduring abuse, fixing their partner, or overall emotional labor to earn domestic happiness)
- Being protected
- As main characters, heroines and anti-heroes
- On adventures
- In fantasy and magical settings
- In historical settings as peasants, upper-class society, and royalty
- Descriptions of Black Afro hair, skin, features as a normal thing in books (see this compilation) and not in an Othering way
- On the other hand, vibrant, sometimes hyped up descriptions that allude to their beauty (see this ask. Or this one). Not Othering, just appreciating!
- Put us in fancy dresses and give us a sword and let us dance at the balls and have admirers!
- Experiencing complex emotions not necessarily in reaction to racism or racist violence
- On the book cover! And with an accurate, not light or white-washed model
~Mod Colette
Responses:
@madamef-er
- Soft black girls and nerd girls who like cute things.
- Shy black girls not just in situations with boys.
- More lgbtqia+ black girls. Studs! Femmes!
- Gender fluid and non conforming constantly changing their style because they like it!
- Spies and not just as the ‘sexy bait’ or ‘weapons master’ let us sit behind the computer for once and be hackers and stuff
@tanlefan
- Black girls who are just…people.
- I want a fantasy escapism adventure that isn’t a thinly veiled discussion on slavery or racism or any other aspect of The Struggle. I am tired.
- Can I just have a happy Black girl who believes in fairies or something?
@esmeraldanacho-1776 More autistic Black women/girls! I don’t care what genre really; just have them in there!
@briarsthicket And enby black people!
- Def soft black girls.
- Energetic and playful.
- Or shy and quiet.
- I want to see more black girls who are nerds and not just mommy mommying or nanny nannying everyone.
- I want black girls who want to be a ballerina, or a talk show host, or a game designer etc.
- I want a black girl who gets to be happy.
- Who doesn’t have to act older than she is and be the shoulder for everyone, always.
@xiiishadesofgrey
- I want more black lady nerds, if we’re talking modern settings!
- More black ladies who have a sporty/playful nature!
- Who aren’t afraid to get dirty and make chaos, without being dirty or frowned upon!
- Strange as it sounds coming from me, more black princesses! Brandy as Cinderella in the 90s was my first Cinderella, and I LOVE that.
- Please, god, more black wlws.
@daintythoughtswritersblock
- I want to see tropes exercised
- Black women of all shades and tones
@hazelnut4370
- Tbh just fellow black people being happy, like I rarely see that,
- Or enjoying hobbies
rivergoddessdream
- Happily childless black women
- Black women traveling the world
- Fat black women in happy, healthy, poly relationships
- Black cis and trans women having a true sisterhood
- Autistic black women
- Black women in period pieces that aren’t about slavery and don’t take place in the US
- Black women thespians
- Black women painters
- Black women revolutionaries
- Black women front and center in the narrative
- Black women healers and storytellers
- Non christian Black women stories
- Black women rockers
#complicated black women characters #tell those stories
More Black Girls…
- With diverse cultural and social backgrounds!
- That are nerdy, girly, intelligent, ditzy, all the personality types that white girls in literature get!
- That are fragile, shy or anxious. Almost every single black woman I’ve seen in media or otherwise are wise and adult. Let us be an absolute wreck, or an anxious mess!
- In science! Characters like Shuri, Moon Girl and Iron Heart in Marvel revitalized me, cuz young black girls only get two types. Both these girls are in intellectual and in science, but have bery different personalities.
- In interracial relationships, and not because they hate black men or something along those lines. They just happen to be dating outside their race, black women get hate for that in real life and it’s unfair. Let us have relationships outside our race! That said…
- In platonic relationships with black men! I think that’s important, cuz I don’t often seen black solidarity unless it’s for the purpose of showing how diverse the writing is. Let them share interests, daily frustrations that they would only understand, but don’t force a romance.
- In solid friendships with other black girls! For some reason, we’re pitted against in each other inside and outside of writing! Write some sweet wholesome friendship!
- With different sexualities! Let there be some that are ace, others are gay, bi or pan! Just be sure you don’t sexualize them, or turn em into a robot.
- •Who are dark-skinned! This can be seen a lot in tv or movies, but when you want a black girl in your stuff don’t just hire a light-skinned black girl or a biracial black girl. It’s not the same.
- Who get to act their age! Black women have a long standing history of being adultified, starting from a very young age, and it’s extremely harmful. Little black girls can wear what they please, the problem is people sexualizing them. Let the teen black girl be a teenager, she can look out for her siblings but she isn’t the keepern the house or their lives. Young adult black girls are not ideal housewives or capable working machines, they mess up and mess around just as much as any young adult.
- With mental/physical disabilities or illnesses.Alongside with being forced to be more mature than they are, disabilities/illnesses are never taken seriously and we’re forced to just deal with it. Having black girls who happen to have these issues, but also have a healthy support group is always good!
- Seen as beautiful and desirable and NOT in a hypersexualized way
- Interracial relationships are wonderful because black girls are beautiful and lbr everybody sees it
- Sensitive and allowed to feel something other than righteous anger
- Some black girls are skinny! Some are big! Some are slim and some are curvy! There’s no mold!
- Dark skinned!
- A YA protagonist out to save the world from something other than racism
- Superpowers or magic that doesn’t come from generational trauma or slavery
- Black characters who support other black characters. None of this token crabs in a barrel business.
- Black girl nerds and punks and goths exist. I promise.
- And this may be a personal preference but I’m not against the idea of a damsel in distress. We are always being strong. Let her be soft and delicate and cared for. Let her be princess carried and rescued from the tower and the dragon.
[Note from Mod: It’s not just you! I love a Black damsel being saved and protected. What is progressive for one woman varies due to historical and present depictions and is why intersectionality in feminism is so important! -Colette]
As a writer, I write a lot of my black female characters like this because I rarely ever see black women being represented in these ways! ESPECIALLY on the covers of books, unless the author themselves is a black woman and even then its rare.
Too often black women are stereotyped as strong protector types that are always rough, tough, and don’t need anybody in books (and real life), when that’s honestly just dumb and inaccurate–black women are as vulnerable as anyone else (in some cases, even more vulnerable, but that’s another topic).
So yeah, this list is 100% accurate and I encourage those who are interested in writing black female characters (whether you’re a black woman or not) to consider writing them like this, because the stereotype needs to die lol.
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Visit: alwaysanoriginal at the link, to continue reading the rest.
We’re all having “hard conversations” about racism, police brutality, and #BlackLivesMatter I hope.
You’ve probably noticed that detractors often use the same “racist talking points” in response. Here’s a researched and sourced guide to help you answer, for the times you may get stuck.
Feel free to save these images and share them!
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#Say Her Name
Korryn Gaines
Renisha McBride
Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones
Miriam Carey
Messy Mya
Sandra Bland
Shelly Frey
Shelley Amos
Cheryl Blount-Burton
Dawn Cameron
Sandra Bee Wilson
Juliette Alexander
Alberta Spruill
Latanya Haggerty
Annette Green
Lenties White
Tameka Evette Anthony
Octavia Suydan
Andrena Kitt
Marcella Byrd
Emma Mae Horton
Angel Chiwengo
Guanda Denise Turner
Andrea Nicole Reedy
U’Kendra Johnson
Annie Holiday
Shonda Mikelson
LaVeta Jackson
Mary Williams
Tesha Reena Collins
Darneisha Harris
Nuwnah Laroche
Clanesha Rayuna Shaqwanda Hickmon
Ciara Lee
Dijon Senay Jackson
Denise Michelle Washinton
Keara Crowder
Tyra Hunter
Clara Fay Morris
Stacey Blount
Tanisha Anderson
Gabriella Monique Nevarez
Keisha Redding
Kendra Diggs
Laquisha Turner
Keoshia L. Hill
Kindra Chapman
Audwyn Fitzgerald Ball
Rosette Samuel
Makiah Jackson
Demetria Dorsey
Jameela Yasmeen Arshad
Joyce Quaweay
Mariah Woods
Jameela Cecila Barnette
Raynetta Turner
Bianca Davis
Patricia Hartley
Martha Regina Donald
Eulia Love
Sophia King
Joyce Curnell
Redel Jones
Tessa “Teesee” Hardeman
Tamara Seidle
Alicia Griffin
Shulena Weldon
Gina Rosario
Remedy Smith
Emily Marie Delafield
Jacqueline Culp
Delois Epps
Jacqueline Nichols
Queniya Tykia Shelton
Latoya Smith
Jacqueline Reynolds
Makayla Ross
LaTricka Sloan
Ralkina Jones
Elaine Coleman
Iretha Lilly
Gynnya McMillen
Malissa Williams
Janisha Fonville
Mya Hall
Patricia Thompson
Michelle Cusseaux
Janet Wilson
Latandra Ellington
Aubrey Zoe Brown
Terry Pittman
Carulus Hines
Lana Morris
Dominique Hurtt
Michelle “Vash” Payne
Tiffini Kuuipo Tobe
Yvette Henderson
Tameka Huston
Leronda Sweatt
Kisha Michael
Portia Southern
Kisha Arrone
Jessica Williams
Jessica Nelson-Williams
Vernicia Woodward
Alexia Christian
Tyisha Miller
Kourtney Hahn
Lamia Beard
Tarkia Wilson
Deshanda “Ta-Ta” Sanchez
Sharon Rebecca McDowell
Ricky Shawatza Hall
Glenda Moore
Danette Daniels
Shontel Edwards
Sharmel Edwards
Lashonda Ruth Belk
Zoraida Reyes
Natasha Renee Osby
Kathryn Johnson
Rekha Kalawattie Budhai
Natasha McKenna
Shontel Davis
Nizah Morris
Duanna Johnson
Asia Roundtree
Darnisha Harris
Shereese Francis
Alesia Thomas
Tracy A. Wade
Yvette Smith
Lnaaar Edwards
Gabrielle Lane
Varez Michelle Cusseaux
Taneisha Anderson
Aura Rosser
Raynette Turner
Tarika Wilson
Eleanor Bumpurs
Kendra James
Ahjah Dixon
Shantel Davis
Alberta Pruill
Marjorie Domingue
Bessie Louise Stovall
Margaret Mitchell
Darnesha Harris
Frankie Perkins
Monique Deckard
Kayla Moore
Queonna Zophia Edmonds
Sheneque Proctor
Kyam Livingston
Wanda Jean Allen
Kimberly McCarthy
Meagan Hockaday
Litvishma Millerr
Summer Marie Lane
Antoinette Griffin
Desseria Whitmore
Adebusola Tairu
Erica Stevenson
Halley Simone Lee
Erika Tyrone or Erica Rhena Tyrone
Lanaka Lucas
Breeonna Mobley
Antonia Martines Lagares
Delicia C. Myers
Tameika Carter
Dana Larkin
Kassandra Perkins
Rekia Boyd
Stacey Wright
Dorothy Smith Wright
BreeAnne Green
Adaisha Miller
Bettie Jones
Catrell Ford
India Kager
Deresha Armstrong
Chanda White (Pickney)
Sahlah Ridgeway
Marlene Rivera
Lashondria Rice
Brandy Martell
Marquesha McMillan
India Beaty
Chandra Weaver
Teikeia Dorsey
Deanna Cook Patrick
Ashley Sinclair
Zella Ziona
Tiara Thomas
Papi Edwards
India Clarke
Constance Graham
Shade Schurer
Erica Collins
Rosann Miller
Lonfon Chanel
Sonji Taylor
Malaika Brooks
Ashton O’Hara
Vida DeShondrell Byrd
Maria Tripp
Eveline Barros-Cepeda
Rosa Flores Lopez
Sarah Ann Riggins
Ty Underwood
Yazmin Vash Payne
Kandis Capri
Elisha Walker
Keonna Redmond
Rikessa La’Shae Lee
Charquissa Johnson
Fatou-Mata Ntiamoah
MOVE bombing victims
Kristina Grant Infiniti
Ariel Levy
Yolanda Thomas
Marquita Bosley
Barbara Lassere
Taja Gabrielle DeJesus
Tamara Dominguez
Vionique Valnord
Linda Yancey
Amber Monroe
Brianna Elaine Carmina Ford
Kendrinka T. Williams
Arabella Bradford
Loretta Gerard
Hanna Abukar
Talana Salissa Cain
Diane Kemp
Amber Nashay Carter
Pearlie Golden
Brenda Williams
Catawaba Tequila Howard
Beverly Kirk
Tamu Malika Bouldin
Denise Gay
Anita Gay
Laura Felder
Alice Faye DeFlanders Clausell
Uteva Monique Woods Wilson
Marnell Robertson Villarreal
K.C. Haggard
Derrinesha Clay
Milinda Clark
Angela Beatrice Randolph
Denise Nicole Glasco
Mercedes Williamson
Dominique Battle
Demetra Boyd
Francine Sonnier
Angelique Styles
Linda Joyce Friday
Shari Bethel Cartmell
Ashaunti Butler
Laniya Miller
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Fandom is toxic to fans of color, especially Black women
TRIGGER WARNING: Mass shootings.
On another post I’m not going to link to, someone commented that people hate Kylo Ren because he’s a white dude and asked if that would still be the case if he were a woman of color.
This person seemed genuinely curious, so I did my best to briefly put that reaction to his character into a broader social and political context. Namely, that whether deliberately or not, Kylo Ren, as a character, exhibits traits analogous to mass shooters, and people may be responding to that because of the scars that mass shootings have left on the collective American psyche.
I also mentioned how we unfortunately live in a world where white male mass shooters are treated better than Black people murdered by cops and white men with guns, and people who would be targeted by the “typical” mass shooter (entitled, pissed off white males with alt-right/neo-fascist/white nationalist leanings) may find Kylo Ren particularly repulsive.
What the hell did I say that for?
You’d have thought that I said, “If you like Kylo Ren, you’re a horrible piece of shit, and you need to be locked up or executed.”
Which I didn’t, BTW. I have better things to do than shit on people for enjoying a fictional character. Like picking my nose.
Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve seen it all before.
This sort of thing inevitably crops up whenever fans of color attempt to address the larger social and political context of media and fandom. Almost without fail, someone will respond as if we said, “You’re a terrible person if you like this character, ship, or work of art.”
Unless you’re talking about outright bigoted propaganda like Birth of A Nation or Triumph of the Will, I rarely see fans of color say that. I have seen fans of color be sharply critical of behaviors some fans engage in. I have seen fans of color urge fans to be mindful of how they consume media and how they participate in fandom. I have seen fans of color attempt to add depth and nuance to the way fandom addresses race. I have seen fans of color apply the framework of intersectionality to better understand media and fandom. I have seen fans of color warn each other about fandom environments toxic to people of color.
But straight-up hating on fans who like something they don’t? Not really. I’ve seen fans of color, especially Black women, get labeled as haters and antis because they do the things I mentioned up there. I’ve seen fans of color, especially Black women, get accused of hating fans who like a certain character, ship or piece of media because they examine characters, ships and media from a social and political context different from the fandom norm. I’ve seen fans of color, especially Black women, get labeled as hostile, angry or mean because they didn’t code-switch thoroughly enough.
Most of the time when we catch this kind of flack from fandom, nobody sticks up for us. Nobody assures us that we’re valid. Nobody comforts us. At best, there might be a handful of women of color in the same fandom who see what’s going on and speak up. But the vast majority of the time, we’re on our own.
It’s painful and exhausting.
So where does this leave fans of color, especially Black women? It seems there are only a few choices if we don’t want to constantly deal with all that:
- Remain silent or stick to “safe” topics
- Keep to a small circle of other fans of color
- Leave the fandom
Many fans of color, especially Black women, just fucking leave. If somebody’s always going to get bent out of shape when a fan of color brings a teensy bit of BIPOC realness to the fandom experience, that’s not a place that’s healthy for fans of color to be.
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As white people, we can’t begin to eradicate our internalized biases without knowing how to identify them. Let’s educate ourselves. And don’t forget that these are biases you need to call out when you see them in others as well.
Understanding Implicit Bias (article)
Stereotypes of African Americans (wikipedia): do the work to understand the links between old incredibly harmful stereotypes and modern white expectation that Black people be caretakers, for example.
Black people are not here to teach you: What so many white Americans just can’t grasp (article)
The White Internet’s Love Affair with Digital Blackface (video)
I don’t care if you’re ‘fascinated’ by my afro, stop touching it (article)
Racial empathy gap: people don’t perceive pain in other races. (article)
Read about how scientific racism was used to institutionalize racism and justify slavery and white supremacy in the United States by claiming that enslaved people could withstand more pain.
Connect this to Black people today being denied the same medical treatment as whites: Some medical students still think black patients feel less pain than whites (article)
Let’s End The ‘Strong Black Woman’ Stereotype. Can’t We Be Vulnerable And Emotional Too? (article)
On calling Black people articulate/well-spoken/educated: The Racial Politics of Speaking Well (article)
The Dangerous Delusion of the Big, Scary, Black Man (article)
Consider why perceptions of Black people as dangerous/aggressive make white folks so reactive to Black anger: to perceive civility as incivility and to perceive anger as a violent threat.
Perceptions and stereotypes of Black men being bigger, stronger and scarier can also be fetishizing. Fetishizing people of color isn’t a compliment, so don’t act like it is (article)
Is This How Discrimination Ends? (article)
I encourage anyone to add, with links or by writing out your own thoughts.
As white people, what should be guiding us is compassion: breaking down the way white supremacy has reduced our compassion for Black lives.
Anger Benefits Some Americans Much More Than Others, by Davin Phoenix, author of “The Anger Gap: How Race Shapes Emotion in Politics.” (article)
Racial Profiling and the Loss of Black Boyhood, by Hussain Abdulhaqq (article)