: Re: Protagonist's race is hidden - should I reveal it? I'm currently on the fourth draft of a novel I'm writing, which features two protagonists. One of them, is, in my mind, black. I say, "in

@Sue2132873

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Yes, you need to mention it.

If race, ethnicity, culture are important (hint: they're always important, even if they don't change the story, they're part of who your character is, just like gender and age and education), then you'd want to talk about them for every character. Or at least a few. Instead, you have a bunch of white characters and then just one nonwhite focal character.

Your question is about mentioning the fact that a character is black. You don't ask about how to reveal that the other characters are white.

Shake things up. Don't assume white people are pretty much the same (they're not). Don't make white the default, even if it is the majority. To do this, you need to acknowledge cultural differences across the board.

This isn't about labeling everyone as "white" or "black" or "latinx" etc. And it's definitely not about pointing out ways that the nonwhite character looks different from the white ones (I bet the white ones are just as different from each other, only in other ways).

One of the dangers of acting like race doesn't matter (so you never talk about it) is that many readers will assume everyone's white. Of course some readers will assume that even when you're explicit about the fact that they're not white.

Pretending that race doesn't matter doesn't actually help people who aren't part of the majority. In the mainstream, your "good" characters will default to white and your "bad" characters will be a variety.

Go beyond looks and find out how each of your characters is unique. Just the very act of being in the minority will change how someone acts. This is true if it's a woman working in a mostly male field, a middle aged man going back to college, someone with a facial deformity, etc.

Trust me, no nonwhite person in a mostly white country has failed to experience racism. Both overt and less so. The subtle ways others treat you, the way you're perceived, having to be extra careful around store clerks, police, school teachers, etc. These things are real. You don't have to talk about them outright (though you could) but you need to be aware. White men walk around in the world very differently from black women, for example.

So bring in the culture of all your main characters. You can reference this sometimes by looks, but don't depend on it. Don't assume your reader understands the mainstream culture and that you only have to mention when it's different. Infuse your characters will life from their specific ethnicities and more.

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