As a black writer trying to adequately represent a massively diverse cast of characters from different cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, disabilities, etc., it takes a HUGE amount of consideration to build these ideas. Thank you for speaking on this topic!

For a few months, I worked as a freelance editor for short movie scripts. To answer one of your questions, there is one particular script that comes to mind. Ironically, I don't actually remember what it was about exactly, the story itself was so bland. The main character was a man, and he had a female love interest that I thought behaved in a way no woman genuinely would. She showed no sense of self-preservation or reacted as anything but positive to some of his actions, some of which came across to me as potentially stalker-ish. He had no such intentions, but she couldn't have known that. From her very first appearance to the end, she welcomed any and all interactions with him without question, taking his strange behavior in stride without showing any hint of surprise or at least confusion. She always knew he was a good guy, and he never had to do anything to show it either - neither to her or to the audience. It is implied, obvious, unquestioned. (I also don't remember anything else about him besides this, not even his name, but that's a critique beyond the scope of the question, lol.) Whether we like it or not, the world can be a cruel place, and a lot of people (and very often women) learn to keep their guard up to protect themselves - even if most people aren't out to get them, letting someone in can sometimes be a game of Russian roulette. This, unfortunately, is considered a part of what it means to be a woman. Even if nothing happened to you personally, hearing about it and being taught to behave in a certain way to mitigate the risk shapes you, no matter how you personally see yourself. The absence of that element made me realize the author never had to actually think about this sort of thing, and made the character feel like their only defining trait was "female love interest" instead of an actual person. It was all the more dissonant due to the fact that she had a teenage daughter, and neither of them seemed to have anything going for them besides eagerly given pleasantries towards the main character, who they knew nothing about. There was a passivity to them, which made it seem like they had nothing else going on it their lives until he paid attention to them. Being friendly and polite is one thing, opening your home and sharing all the information to a stranger at the drop of a hat is just strange. Even without their respective genders, it seems odd to me to have any characters behave that way, not without some sort of personal motive. But it also makes it seem like the only reason why they did act this way is *because* of their gender - the female character acts this way because that's her primary role, she's *supposed* to like the main character, that's what she's there for. In short, I could see the strings the author was pulling a bit too plainly. 😅

I truly believe the timidness instilled in people to not say or do anything to offend someone has divided us far more than anything else. Learning to laugh at both differences and our own eccentricities. One great thing about America, since this is Independence day, is how we are defined. Every country is defined by it's race and ethnicity...except America. We are defined by values. E. Pluribus Unum(Out of many one), Liberty, and In God We Trust. The first one is what I will talk about here. Originally it was meant to describe the 13 colonies becoming one nation, but most people see it now as meaning that many different races and cultures come together to become one nation. So, if you're a Turk, if you move to Europe, you will never be seen as fully German, or Swedish, or Spanish, nor will you children or grandchildren, but when you come to America you will be seen as fully American, as American as any other American, the moment you become a citizen. So for me, different ethic traditions can be important, but my own frame of reference is not to think too heavily about that unless you are setting it in a narrative framework where that affects the plot. Each individual is extremely unique and I find that whether you write black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, or any other character, you will need to be careful to not make the defining feature of that character their race. That is a very shallow way to write the character. Ensure that any character, no matter their background, can stand alone without their race affecting them. After that, I believe you can add some depth to the character by incorporating their background and traditions and ethic culture, but, and I don't think you two will do this, don't write in a character of a specific race, solely to have a character of a different race in there. You know, a token minority to get brownie points. Again, I believe you two will simply use this person's culture and ethnicity as a way to add some depth to the character, but people will know if she's 2 dimensional and only defined by what she is rather than who she is. People have made that pitfall in the movie and television industry a lot with all the failing woke writing that people just aren't interested in. You can't have an interesting, deep, complex, and relatable character if the only defining trait is that they are a woman, or they're black, or that they're x, y, z. You get the picture. So, why the long rant? It's simply to say, I think you are doing good to consider the details of this character, but don't worry so much in defining what she is as much as you define who she is. Alright, I'll shut up for now. Happy Independence Day to everyone in the U.S.A.