Things To Know: Creating Human Characters of Color

May 15, 201625 min read

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Published: May 15, 2016

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It's been awhile since I've written anything exclusively for ArtistsHospital! Well over a year in fact. As a followup to my "Common Misconceptions" series* (links at the bottom of this journal) I decided to begin a new series titled "Things To Know." These blogs will cover topics that are not commonly addressed in tutorials or articles existing here on dA. The goal is to help you out by answering questions you've had but couldn't find answers to. That being said, I decided to begin this series with a doozy of a topic: race. Yes, it's the hottest topic on the table right now according to the media, but this topic has always been a topic of contempt (in the United States, that is). There have been no "good ole days when everyone got along" sadly, and because of this there is enduring misunderstanding revolving around what even constitutes as racist imagery.

Let's be perfectly frank: the history of representation and depiction of non-white characters in visual and performing arts has been absolutely abysmal. And while it is getting better, the public's reaction to seeing non-white characters fulfilling roles initially has been equally disappointing...heck even Old Navy's most recent ad featuring an interracial family sparked all kinds of unreasonable hatred. Because of this many artists who are interested in having a diversified cast of characters in their work shy away in fears of inciting rage from both sides of the debate. My goal with this blog is to answer some frequently asked questions, present some historical evidence, and give you some reassurance as you move forward.

I also want to point out that this blog is in no way meant to "bash" people who are white. It's purpose is to help you as an artist understand the current issues that are plaguing the visual and performing arts. I am of the thought that that education goes a long way.

#1. Race and Ethnicity are not the same thing.

This is a huge point of confusion for the average Joe out there, so let me break it down for ya! Race is a social construct that groups together based on distinct physical characteristics. Ethnicity on the other hand is a category of people who identify with each other based on common language, ancestral, social, cultural, or national experiences. You can be ethnically different than people belonging to your own race. For example, I'm black. But ethnically, I'm American. Another term you should be familiar with is diaspora. A diaspora is a scattered population whose origin lies within a smaller geographic locale. Slavery, wars, exploration, exile, and the search for autonomy has scattered a great many people groups throughout the Earth over time. To understand how diverse the human population on Earth is, check out this gif!

Rather interesting information, huh?

#2. Racist glasses.

Sadly, this is how many people function on the daily.

Here's the definition of racism in case you weren't already clear: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. Did you know that it comes in different flavors? Did you also 'reverse racism' isn't one of them? The term reverse racism implies that it is nearly impossible for a non-white person to be racist. You haven't been on this Earth long enough if you think that malarky is true. What are the aforementioned 'flavors' of racism you ask?

Subtle racism (aka covert racism or microaggression)- this is your everyday racism. Being followed through stores, asked where you got "all that money," asked why you are in "this neighborhood," and negative connotations based on given or family names are examples of this. It's annoying enough to know which family members aren't welcome at Thanksgiving, but doesn't usually have enough punch to be taken seriously by people outside of the group. This type of racism is rooted in your garden variety prejudice.

Internal racism (aka colorism)- this is racism that is carried out within a racial group. It can be based on skin color (light is good, dark is bad or vice versa) or ethnic disputes. This type of racism

Unintentional racism- this is racism performed without ill intent. It's most often carried out by people who have been spoon fed misinformation about racial groups and believe them to be true. For example the University of Virignia discovered that its white medical students believed that black patients feel less pain and that their skin is thicker than that of white patients (among a host of other untrue things). Ignorance isn't a great defense when you're in medical school. I mean, come on.

Ethnocentrism (aka the naive attempt to 'justify' why your culture is right and the others are barbaric savages)- this is the racism that has historically followed colonialism. Forced assimilation, mission schools, and Westernization (including governments) are examples of this.

Intentional racism- this is the worst flavor in the racist jellybean jar. It doesn't need any explanation.

#3. A cast belonging to the same racial group is not inherently racist...except when it clearly is.

This needs to be shouted all over Tumblr. While it is indeed upsetting that people of color are not getting the amount of representation they need in the media, one cannot assume that the reason for that specific casting was indeed "racist." I once had an acquaintance try to explain to me that the Cee Lo Green music video for the song Forget You is racist because there were no white actors in it.

We no longer talk because of those types of lapses of his intelligence.

Adaptations of films and productions that have been made originally featuring an all white cast now featuring a racially different cast is not racist. Examples of this are The Wiz, Creole Giselle, Steel Magnolias, Annie, and Cinderella. On that same note, there was controversy before Disney's Frozen came out because all the characters are white...in spite of the story in the movie (and the tale it's based on) is situated in what is clearly Northern Europe. Tumblr and Twitter can be exceptionally frustrating places to hang out sometimes. For a thing to be racist it must first be based on the idea of superiority. This is what has happened historically in the casting for films and productions for stories set in the Middle East or Asia. (The Mummy, Cleopatra, Gods of Egypt, Noah, 300, The Passion of the Christ, Prince of Persia...I really don't need to go on).
In response to accusations of whitewashing, Ridley Scott, director of Exodus: Gods and Kings is quoted saying: "I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up." Wanna know something ironic? The director of Gods of Egypt, a film containing not one Egyptian cast member, is Egyptian himself. Refer to the Cee Lo gif above for an applicable reaction image.

The recent troubles with trying to make Scarlett Johansson look more Asian for the live action version of Ghost in the Shell and Tilda Swinton playing a Tibetan monk in the upcoming Doctor Strange is very alarming. The trouble isn't so much that white actors have "usurped" these roles from their original players, it is that the ethnicity of such characters is important to the fabric of the story and the characters. That is why the argument that Michael B. Jordan depicting Johnny Storm in the last trash version of The Fantastic Four (please Hollywood, for the love of God, STOP MAKING FANTASTIC FOUR MOVIES) was racist doesn't have any sense or truth to it. In short: If you've got characters who's ethnic or racial background is important to who they are do not change it.

It makes me sad too, Finn.

#4. Know the stats.

Note: The statistical breakdown of people groups I'll be sharing here is information that is unique to the United States only. There tends to be a bit of confusion in defining what a minority is. People who work with the public like to gleefully explain that the term minority is quickly going extinct, but I will humbly disagree. Yes, there is one ethnic group that is closing the gap with the majority in the United States, but that is the only group to do so.

Mmmm, pie.

#5. Know the stereotypes (and avoid them like the plague).

Seeing those numbers kind of justifies the lack of diversity we see in comics and movies, right? Well, not really. Hispanic and Latino people are second largest demographic in the US, yet only a minuscule 6% of speaking roles are fulfilled by that people group. More often than not non-white actors are cast in roles that reinforce stereotypes. Below is a listing of frequently recurring stereotypes in film.

Not included here: Brainiac Perfectionist (Asian) and Master at Martial Arts (also Asian). Infographic Source.

These stereotypes are used in comics too, granted the history of comics is actually worse than film in that department.

Heavy sigh

#6. The representation gap is actually a canyon.

This year's Oscar's boycott wasn't simply an attempt to become more offended than we already are as a society (I am art and this deviant offends me...ok I'll stop). The proof of the lack of representation is in the pudding.

These are all of the non-white Oscar winners in the history of the Oscars.

Yet, this does not end with the Oscars.

Or the Academy Awards.

#7. Create Responsibly.

That's a question I've been asked a couple of times and my answer hasn't changed: stay away from depictions of non-white characters that mock features of the face and body. For the sake of everyone's eyes and innocence I'll not post any images here but you can browse the Jim Crow Museum's collection here: www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/. Also, do not write about experiences that are not your own without doing the proper amount of research first. Remember that you are looking into those experiences as an outsider. No amount of compassion or empathy will equal a shared experience when it comes to ethnic and racial histories.

This is Rachel. Don't be like Rachel.

Another example of this misstep is the Marvel comic Strange Fruit. The comic is about an alien who looks like a black man living in rural Mississippi in 1927 (Marvel: that couldn't possibly be wrong in any way!). It was also written by a white man (another red flag). The series has been heavily criticized for appropriation. Here is an excerpt from an essay written in response to the comic's issues.

"Marvel was not being conscientious of their approach to blackness — specifically, not being conscientious of the fact that they are happy to use the products of black culture to sell their comics but not let black people have a part in the creative process. It’s is their prerogative to make those choices, but it is also my prerogative to openly challenge them...

Of course, this metaphor clearly fails on some scores for this discussion — for example, everyone has a different definition of what it is to “drink responsibly.” Does drink responsibly mean don’t drink such that you get sick, don’t drink such that you don’t black out, or don’t drink such that you don’t hurt someone else? Carrying those questions forward to our original discussion — why do black people get to decide what it means to create responsibly in regards to anti-black racism? And the answer is: because it’s black people who pay the ultimate price.

In terms of Strange Fruit and similar works, it’s black people who suffer when white readers think that racism is only enacted a certain way. Those same white readers, after a lifetime of textbooks and films and shows that insist that racism is using the N-word and calling me “colored,” will leave their homes, go to their jobs, and think the reason they decided not to offer their black employee a raise was his perceived aggression in the workplace." Read More: Creating Responsibly: Comics Has A Race Problem

The author's plea here is that you simply create responsibly. Do not be afraid to draw racially diverse characters! Doing so does not magically mean you're doing anything "wrong" (please...stay away from the offended side of Tumblr).
Here are some Do Nots when it comes to creating non-white characters:

Do not rely on stereotypes.
Do not rely only upon observation or anecdotal evidence when portraying people groups outside of your own.
Do not use racist cartoons as resource images.
Do not guess when trying to draw characters of various racial groups.
Do not become unnecessarily worried about immediately adding non-white characters to your stories/comics.

And here are your Dos!

Do gather research if you're unsure of what you're doing (and that can include talking to friends).
Do practice drawing characters of various racial groups and if you work in a specific style modify it to fit.
Do use dA stock or Google Images for a resource image.
FAQ #217: What are "Stock Photos" and can I use "Stock Photos" in my submissions?