A List of Things YA Characters of Color Are Not Allowed to Do

Justina Ireland
Jul 10, 2017 · 1 min read

· Have “meet cutes” in coffee shops.

· Throw coffee drinks.

· Play fight with boys.

· Dislike their rivals.

· Discuss structural racism.

· Dismantle gender roles in fantasy societies.

· Fall in love.

· Feel insecure.

· Have unrealistic body size expectations.

· Make fun of their white boyfriends.

· Be flawed.

· Be “unlikeable.”

· Be “too ethnic” acting.

· Use dialect authentic to their experience.

· Have a character arc.

· Make white readers nervous.

· Make white readers feel “left out”.

· Have actual dialogue.

· Have a happy ending.

· Have an unhappy ending.

· Exist.

· Exist.

· Exist.

Justina Ireland

Written by

I write okay books and I am just like other girls. Look! I have a website: justinaireland.com

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