Hello Mrs. CBC, I have a question that pertains less to creating a Black character and more how to act when the fandom is whitewashing one. I thought you'd be a good source to ask, but if it strays too OT from your blog then please feel free to disregard it.
My question is, as a white fan, I don't really know when it's my place to speak up about whitewashing? Usually, I reblog/retweet/share posts written by other Black fans, but the fandom I'm in is from a very niche anime and is incredibly small, barely any popular at all in the West at large. The Black character is drawn so much paler than he is in the anime and it bothers me a lot. I want to avoid coming off as a white saviour, though, especially because I'm white while the artists who whitewash him are largely East Asian. I have always stopped supporting the artists who do whitwash him but I don't know if it's my place to call anyone out
It's always your place to speak up about whitewashing 👍🏾
To be clear- if you are informed enough, that is. If you don't know or aren't confident about what you're talking about, that's one thing. But whitewashing is probably the easiest form of fandom racism to point out. We can literally see when a character isn't as dark as they are in canon, or when their hair texture has been thinned, or their nose changed. We can TELL that the guy you drew is NOT the guy we're supposed to be seeing. I have a lesson about this in my pinned post!
Also, being a white savior is not "I'm speaking up when I see racism". That's not what that word means. Being a white savior is when you talk OVER Black people and people of color, as if you know more and better than them about their own experiences. It's treating us like we're children, like we're less intelligent, that we NEED you and your "wisdom". But both you and an East Asian artist are capable of antiblackness. Neither of you are the group in question. You don't have to be racist or condescending to them, but it is not racism or white saviorism to say "hey, this is whitewashing and that's not cool". Especially if there's no one else in the space saying anything, likely because they're afraid of rocking the boat.
Now, to be clear: if this is a niche space, you're gonna lose some friends. People are gonna start treating you differently. 100%. Sorry. So be aware of that before you say something! If you're not willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of antiracism, you need to sit with yourself first before you go on this journey. If you're worried about being a white savior, that part is also on you- no one owes you thanks for doing the right thing, you won't get to go "well I gave up all this for Black people, why don't they-" ERRNT! If you aren't gonna do right because it is right, then don't do it.
