Do I need to say a character is black?

I know I'll get ribbed for this (a la "the proper term is African-American") but I thought I'd just save everybody the extra eyestrain.

Do I need to mention that a minor character in only one scene is African-American? He has a name typical of the African-American community and he "walks the walk." But do I *need* to indicate his race? Please advise.

Is he a main character? Does the the character affect the plot? If so, you might want to say he's black. However, if everyone in your book is black or it's insignificant, then only put it in if you feel like you need to

Well, as a reader I'm not very happy when I can't visualise the character, and skin colour counts for me. When I visualise somebody as white and then learn they're black, I find it pretty annoying.

I remember I read a fantasy novel once (skin color's pretty irrelevant in fantasy) and the author gave all sorts of "subtle" clues giving her character all sorts of Afro-American manners and words, but in the end (I was a beta reader) I just had to ask her, "Is he black or what?" It's got nothing to do with political correctness, I just want to be able to visualise the guy!

Steven King was well into IT before he mentioned one of the main characters was black.

Do what is best for the story.

I remember one of those Reader's Digest "Humor in Uniform" bits where the guy is waiting for his friend's wife at the air port. He finally goes up to this one woman who is standing all alone and asks, "Are you Joe's wife?"

"Yes. Are you John?"

He commented that, "It would have sure helped if he had mentioned you were pregnant."

To which she replied, "It would have also helped if he'd have mentioned you were black."

What's the background assumption? Black readers might start out thinking of all the characters as black, except the ones named Chun-Li and Vito and Bubba.

Might as well if you want. It's only a couple of words; one line at the most, so as long as it flows with the rest of the story, go ahead.

No if the character's race is not important to the story.

I meant something along the lines of: "And then a black person approached him/her/me/us/them, and..." Understand what I mean now?

What's the point? Can't you convey skin color without having to mention it? Or at least describe it in a tastier manner.

She looked like a Hershey's kiss and I was dripping caramel.

Again, is it important to the story if the character is black?

You can easily just say "then a tall person approaches him..."

If the info is not important, leave it out. Let the readers visualize the character any way they want.

skin colour

I remember I read a romance once where the hero was in love with a black girl. But the writer wasn't very straightforward about it--I figured it out only by the middle of the story. The problem was, I obviously wasn't the only one because the cover pictured the hero embracing a... caucasian brunette! That was really funny.

Re: skin colour

Green, think how your POV character would describe him, then describe him that way. Pick out the details that the POV character would notice and use them

Re: skin colour

I'd say yes, simply because it helps visualize the character.

"A tall, young black man approached him...."

"A thin, blond dude walked up to him...."

"A middle-aged Asian man tapped him on the shoulder...."

I think simply using the term "black" makes it clear and doesn't confuse the reader. Do people generally think of characters as white unless it's specified?

I find with white people, unless they have black hair, people will automatically assume by saying they have brown, blond, or red hair, that they are white. But even saying they have black hair isn't enough because both black and white people have black hair.

JK Rowling in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone wrote this description of Dean Thomas during the Sorting Ceremony. "a Black boy even taller than Ron." I'm confused why they capitalized the word black though since it's a descriptor. Why would that be capitalized?

Another way I think which helps tell the reader if a character is black is by what their name is. There seem to be names which are unique amongst people who are black.

I find "African American" to be an interesting term because I would guess most black Americans were born here and their families have lived here a long time. Thus they're American. What if every American used their ancestory to say who they are, because unless you are Native American (Indian) you can trace your roots to some other country. Would we call people English-American, Scottish-American, Welsh-American, German-American, Russian-American, Chinese-American, Asian-American, Brazilian-American, etc...? Although to be honest, most of us could probably trace our ancestory back to several countries so it would be a rather long title. Like saying you're English-German-Russian-French-American or something.

Enough with my rambling. One question though. If you say that your character has fair skin, does fair refer to the color or feel of the skin?

Although to be honest, most of us could probably trace our ancestory back to several countries so it would be a rather long title. Like saying you're English-German-Russian-French-American or something.

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I like the term Hienz 57 from back in the days when they claimed to have 57 varieties. And people would say, "I'm an all American Hienz 57."

I was thinking about the same thing. I mean, do readers automatically assume someone is white when no descriptions are given? I mean if it's a white guy with black hair, do I have to say: "A tall, thin, white guy with black hair walked up to me..."? And why is it relevant to the story? I mean, is it okay for the readers to visual the guy as a "chubby, short, black man" since it doesn't matter to the story?

I mean, when you tell a story to a colleague, do you say "a tall, thin, white guy" or do you just say "this guy"? Do you only describe the person if he's not white: "this black guy" or something like "this fat guy"? Why is it relevant to your story if the guy is black or fat or Asian or Italian?

IMHO, readers DO NOT need to have visual hues from the author to visualize EVERY single characters. If the character is minor and if his attributes are not essential to the story, I'd say skip them. It gets really annoying after a while when the author tries to describe every minor characters in the book...

Re: skin colour

I know I'll get ribbed for this (a la "the proper term is African-American") but I thought I'd just save everybody the extra eyestrain.

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Actually I just spent 4 months living in a house with about 6 "African Americans" coming and going...and they all referred to themselves as "black". In fact I had a white roommate who was uncomfortable saying the word "black" and they had to sit her down and teach her! :lol But anyway...I'm straying from the point. I don't think there's anything wrong with indicating a character's race in writing. You don't have to use the words "black" or "African American"--you could use more unique, descriptive language and weave it into a sentence. For example, "He ran his hands through her raven hair, and touched a finger to her smooth, dark cheek." Okay, corny. I know. But you get the point, ehh?

Re: skin colour

One of my issues with so many novels is that so many are "lily white" and if you read them you would think the whole world was white.

I've always lived in mixed neighborhoods. I'm more comfortable in a mixed neighborhood than I am in a all white neighborhood. Maybe because I have so much Native American Indian blood in me.

Another of my issues is with age. So many novels have only one age. Like maybe everyone is between 25 and 35. The world I live in has kids in it. It has teenagers and young adults and college kids and grand mothers and grand fathers.

So when I visit a novel and it is all 27 year old white people I feel like it is artificial; a dream state.

When I write a novel I try to mix in a bit of everything. If nothing else my peripheral characters are many ages, many colors, many ideas.

Do you have to say that a character is white? Good writing and realistic characters will nearly always do the trick.

An interesting question and it's generated some fine commentary, and cheers to everyone for speaking about this without any chips on shoulders in any direction.

My two bits... My private detective novels are 1st person narrative, and as you know the genre, the protag. explains things and describes events is detail.

My stories are set in modern Houston so I've created a wide range of characters with many ethnic backgrounds. Since most people are causasian, I don't say anything about a person being 'white'. I describe the person otherwise, such as middle-age, chunky, redhead, etc. If the persion is a minority I simply say it and move on -- 'Lieutenant Kelly was a handsome athletic black man with a neatly trimmed goatee. He reminded me of Avery Brooks in Star Trek. Kelly possessed the combination of street smarts and a sharp mind. He also had a terrific reputation in the Robbery division and everyone figured him a shoo-in for Captain." This is done so the reader has a mental image of the character, which generates the desired connection.

Being modern crime fiction, sometimes there are racist or otherwise hateful epithets in the dialogue, and I don't mince words. But of course I don't employ them as a means of declamation.

if i open the book up and see your descriptor as 'african-american,' i'm going to put it down figuring you're a politically correct jerk weed writing only blasse, inoffensive crap because you've got no balls to speak of.

but if you say 'black,' i'm going to put it down because you're a racist bastard.

just kidding. well, on the second one. the only one of that bunch i'll take is 'native american' because 'indian' instantly draws up a foreign-looking person to me. seriously, if i even get a whiff of political correctness, i'll find something else to read.

sorry, katdad, one of my biggest pet peeves is when a writer uses an actor to describe a character's looks. i think it's just too cheap and easy. 'he reminded me of ed asner during the 'mary tyler moore' years.' ah, crap, man, now i can't think of anyone other than that guy. how hard is it to say, 'he had big fat features on a big fat pumpkin head'? and is it just me or does every writer who does this always use a 'star trek' reference? lol. you also run the risk of, 'he reminded me of peter mayhew,' and the reader be like, who?

Re: skin colour

One of my issues with so many novels is that so many are "lily white" and if you read them you would think the whole world was white.

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Out of curiousity, do these novels specificially state all the characters are white, or is that an assumption on the part of the reader?

If you think it is important that the reader see this character as black and only as black, then you should state it terms so that you, the reader, would understand. When you are reading, what clues do you look for to determine a character's race? Do you needed to be told a character's exact skin tone before you see them as anything but white?

My two cents,
Jen

Re: skin colour

Thanks, everyone, for your comments on this. It's really given me a lot to think about!

I find "African American" to be an interesting term because I would guess most black Americans were born here and their families have lived here a long time. Thus they're American.

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Agreed. And this particular character wasn't born in Africa, but L.A.

As for my POV character: She is also black. Actually, she is an elderly black woman and she doesn't recognize people by their skin colors. She refers to the character in question by his name and not his race. But I still think I should let my readers know that this is not a white kid we're reading in this particular scene. The character is in only one scene, which lasts a couple of pages and I just want to know if it's important that I point out he's not some white kid a reader happens to visualize.

Though it really doesn't matter if they do...

Out of curiousity, do these novels specificially state all the characters are white, or is that an assumption on the part of the reader?

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The burden is not on the reader. Admittedly I have not been published in 20 years. Something may have slipped past me in the mean time, but the editorial standard in the United States has always been that if not otherwise stated by the writer then the character is an American white Anglo Saxon Protestant: WASP if you are familiar with the term.

The exception being when your main character is in their own milieu: Crocodile Dundee in Australia, when you would assume everyone was Australian unless stated otherwise: A black family in Harlem or Watts, when you would assume everyone not stated otherwise was black: A Navajo detective on the Big Rez, when you would assume every character was Navajo unless stated otherwise.

Granted this "tradition" comes from a social bias: At one time WASP was the standard by which all things American were measured. Prior to Martin Luther King the phrase "Free white and 21" was the slogan stating one's Independence.


preyer

just kidding. well, on the second one. the only one of that bunch i'll take is 'native american' because 'indian' instantly draws up a foreign-looking person to me. seriously, if i even get a whiff of political correctness, i'll find something else to read.

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I have difficulty with a lot of ethnic terms. To me both African American and Native American seem contrived. Indian to me conjures up a picture of what every American meant by the word until ten years ago: One of the Native American Tribes. Now people say "Indian" and apply it to everyone from the Mid East: Often including people from Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. The word Asian can mean any one from the Far East: Chinese, Japanese, Korean,: Around this area Asian tends to mean Vietnamese, Hmong, Mien. My preference, if possible, is to name the tribe I am speaking about and to name the nationality I am speaking.

May I point out that there is no difference between the attitude that "politically correct people have nothing to say I want to listen to" is the exact equivalent of "People who use vulgarity have nothing to say I want to listen to."

seriously, if i even get a whiff of political correctness, i'll find something else to read.

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If you don't want your own work to be prejudged based on superficial criteria then refrain from using superficial criteria when judging the work of others .

Re: skin colour

I'm just going to throw this one in:

I was reading a PB to my niece one day, and the story was about Martin Luther King and the words "little black boys and girls" came up. My niece, who was six, looked at her hand and said, "Well, he wasn't talking about me. I'm more medium brown." And she also looks puzzled if she hears someone refer to her as "African American."

When describing characters, you could say, light brown skin, olive colored skin, reddish-pink skin, ruddy complexion, dark brown skin.... Even caucasians have varying degrees of coloration.