I have a dieselpunk story idea where my main female character is a black teenaged wrench wench with the supernatural abilities of metal manipulation and mechanical intuition. Her father was a well-known military weapons designer and her mother was a scientist. Her mother, along with a group of scientists, discovered a new element that could be the key ingredient to creating a mass weapon of destruction to put an end to an ongoing world war. This leads to a international race to creating this weapon, which she becomes an unwilling key player and one of the most wanted targets in trying to create it.
The only problem is that my character is black during the 1940s, which is a rather critical time in African American history because of racism, discrimination, and segregation. I can do one of two things: completely erase that aspect of history from my story or deal with the issues in some kind of way. I posted a thread on it and I got some very diverse answers. Some people say that because it's an alternate reality, that it's okay to do away with the history of slavery and racism. Others say that I shouldn't ignore the discrimination and racism of that era, I should work with it.
I mean I am black and my great-grandfather and my grandparents told me how difficult that time period was for a black man yet alone a black woman. Yet alone a young black woman. I am just at a loss because I feel like I have dug myself in a hole. Someone I know told me that I should just change my character's race to white because it seems more fitting and appropriate for that time period.
I am just at a frustrating loss. :<
It can defy morals and still make you want to watch it!
