LogFAQs > #960274156

It's not polite to gratuitously volunteer a character's race. But there's also an issue in society where, if a character's ethnicity is not stated, we're predisposed to assume they're White. In a movie, you don't have to state that a character is Black. The audience can visually see it. A novel doesn't have that luxury. All you have is what text conveys.

Some writers fall back on stereotypes to get their message across. His name is Deshawn. He likes basketball and rap music. He spends all weekend working on his car in the garage. Only a willfully obstinate person could ignore the fact that they're Black. And some can because you've only implied it rather than stated it. But, in any event, the author's goodwill and attempts at inclusion are muted if they choose that route because they've fallen back on stereotyping. They're not seen as a fleshed out character in a story full of fleshed out characters. They're seen as the stereotype.

It's customary to give a physical description of an important character. I feel like being able to use the adjective Black is kind of necessary. Even if you mention in passing about someone having a dark complexion, someone could just read it as that character having a tan. Then the movie adaptation has the character played by a blond-haired White guy while the teacher or doctor with two scenes is Black.