Who Can Write a Black Character

HowlRound.com posted an post called Why Am I Afraid to Write African-American Characters? On Tuesday, there was a discussion over Twitter about writing characters of another race (which quickly became a discussion about why people are afraid to write about [blacks/latinos/gays/lesbians/enter any other minority group here]. Last night, a friend of mine called to discuss the possibility of her including a black male character in a play she was writing. Could she, a white woman, write an authentic black male character?

On all three of these occasions, I have been a little lost as to what to say. When I read the article, I understood the playwright's question and appreciated his honesty, but also it annoyed me...and I've been trying to think about why the past few days.

I think it is important to ask yourself questions about authenticity and motives, but I don't think it is an excuse to get bogged down in it. One commenter in the HowlRound discussion made the point that in many cases, there won't be black people on stage unless white playwrights write them. (This also annoys me...in part because it sets up this "white savior" idea. Womanist Musings discusses the idea in terms of the movie, Red Tails, and George Lucas. But I also think the comment is, unfortunately, true. Most work produced is not written by minority playwrights and more often than not, a character without race attached is read as white and cast as white. The "quick" fix is for white writers to write black/minority characters. )

[Can we stop for a moment? Can I just say that sometimes I really hate the word "authentic"? What the hell does it mean in the context of race, personality, experience? In my experience, using the word 'authentic' has done more harm than good...my two cents...I will continue to use it though since it seems at the heart of this discussion.]

It also annoys me because, on some level, there is the assumption all black people (or other minority groups) have the same experience, which just isn't true. My experience as a black boarding school attendee from the suburbs is going to be different than my friends who were black boarding school attendees from the city, which is going to be different than my black friends who didn't go to boarding school, etc. While there are most certainly similarities in our experiences, just as there are similarities in anyone's experiences, we are different people. A playwright creates a multitude of characters. Why can't the multitude include people of different races? Why can't you then work to develop the characters? Have people read your play and ask hard questions? Have readings and workshops? Isn't that what we do, or should do, as writers? Making sure all of our characters ring true?

Yes, I also want more black playwrights to have the opportunity to write plays that authentically represent some aspects of the black experience. I want theater seasons to be so damn diverse it makes your head spin. On the flip side though, as a black playwright, I don't want to feel as though I can only write plays with or about black people. My world was not and is not one color. I don't want my plays to be.

If I do write a play about The Black Experience (caps for a reason, ya'll), it will probably deal with issues of 'authenticity' and who "gets" to be black. Growing up I was called an "oreo" (black on the outside, white on the inside) and asked if I was bi-racial because I didn't fit the generally accepted idea of "blackness". Family members continue to make this point, pointing out that many of my best friends aren't black, that I'm "culturally" white, and say things like "You probably won't marry a black man, will you?" or "I'm not going to tell you why you have Cyndi Lauper stuck in your head. You already know what I am thinking" etc. According to some people, even I (despite being and identifying as s black female, experiencing racism and sexism as a black female...) can't write an authentically black character. So...wtf? What is a playwright to do?

I guess my point is this. There are always going to be some people who are unhappy with your characters. The character isn't going to ring true to them. They are going to read a scene or characters as offensive even if you didn't intend it that way. Someone is going to think that it is not possible why for you to write an authentic [enter minority here] character. But has that person met every single [enter minority here]? I've written stories essentially about myself and was told that the character wasn't a true black female. Well, damn, there I go not existing again. Theater, at its root, is make believe, but also at its root is rhetoric...and politics. It is a place to ask questions about what is real, what is not, what is authentic, what is not, to make a point, to be persuasive, to challenge. It can be a perfect place to discuss these issues.

If you are sitting around wondering why you are afraid of writing a black character, you are probably in a much better position to actually write the character. Nine times of out ten you probably aren't going to be the playwright that offends. It will be the playwright who doesn't even think about the hard questions. It will be the playwright who just ignores the issue, choosing to only write what he/she thinks she knows. Does that make sense? Am I wrong? I've spent so much time thinking about this alone in my room, can you let me know if I am missing a point?