Properly Coded: Creating Characters of Color (Part 3)

Diversity makes stories better, plain and simple. This year, we’ve partnered with the good folks at Writing With Color to get some advice on how to write stories populated with people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. In the third part of her sub-series “Properly Coded,” Alexa White gives some advice on writing the communities in which characters of color live:

We have done the research, and looked into character backgrounds, now is the time… for setting. Because no character exists in a vacuum.

Because of the after-effects of segregation, white people often live in white-majority communities. As a result, unless there was an active effort to interact with “outsider” groups, you’re probably going to have a lot of white cultural baggage you’ll project into how communities work.

Here are a few things to look for in creating realistic communities of color:

1- Neighbor relations

White society is often a very segregated thing. Urban centers can be segregated things, or they can be blocks of people close enough to be called family they just live in different houses officially. You can have a whole street that comes together to take care of each other, block parties on the regular, or even just knowing who you can go to if you need advice. 

Depending on the area, your neighbors might be the only ones who come from the same culture, share your language, or cook the same food as you. Or you might’ve moved from a community like that, only to find the culture shock of neighbors who don’t share the same values.

This is also important for fantasy, because historical non-European communities were often worlds different than the European default. The housing structure didn’t necessarily include single family homes (Iroquois longhouses could fit 200), the center of the city wasn’t necessarily the religious structure, and the way necessities were gathered could include unrelated families coming together with a lot more fluidity.

2- Community events

Community schedules can look and feel very different depending on where you are. People in Chinese/Taiwanese diaspora communities can take Mandarin classes with children in the neighborhood. Native spiritual practices and sacred days, still celebrated on reservations, vary wildly. The dance classes might be kathak or odissi instead of ballet and tap. The community center might be bursting with religious celebrations that spill over from the house of worship, or classes for skills outside the realm of learning acrylic paint.

You’ll want to really figure out what will fill up this character’s life in the world around them. Go beyond the narrative of your communities being universal, and go beyond the narrative of what you’ve been told around communities of color. 

3- Family structure

The nuclear family is very white. From number of children to number of adults in a house to who is even considered immediate family, families of color have different defaults per community.

“Auntie” as a form of respect is common across multiple cultures; some count cousins as brothers and sisters, calling them as such; some prioritize three or four generations living within close proximity to each other, if not in the same house.

You’ll want to really look into what family means for different communities, the expected caretakers, and who is considered the wisest of the community.

Bonus! Don’t assume that all structures mirror European authoritarianism 

Native Elders are those who are the most adept at caring for the land, so they are seen as an authority and their opinions are respected. This does not (necessarily) mean they “own” the land or use their powers for authoritarian ends, and those who respect them are mindless. Like Mako Mori said in Pacific Rim: “It’s not obedience. It’s respect.”

You cannot go assuming that all power structures you find when building your setting are authoritarian, or abusive. This is, again, something more often than not found in European settings over anything else. Even if you have a place with the divine right of kings, their values will greatly differ, and as a result, so will their expressions of power

The best part about fleshing out your setting is: you end up with more plot points. Character vs societal expectations is always a great conflict, and can provide you with some really interesting character choices that go beyond “I hate authority” to a nuanced, balanced portrayal. 

Happy research!

~Alexa

Alexa White, also known as Mod Lesya on Writing with Color, is a Mohawk two spirit person from Southern Ontario, who joined Writing with Color to help educate others. A lifelong lover of storytelling, she dedicates her focus to making characters feel like they come from whatever setting they’re supposed to exist in. If she is not found writing, she is playing with her cat, cooking, or drawing.