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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/42007
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm writing a **cartoon script** aimed at a children/young-adult audience (similar to the audience of Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Over the Garden Wall).

It deals with the daughter of a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like couple who has to find her parents after they go missing (she later goes on to realize that they were more manipulative and evil than she could possibly imagine). She enlists the help of a Latino cop to help her crack the case. They'll meet interesting people on their adventures through North Texas and Arizona.

Many of these characters will be criminals (for example: a pickpocket, a highwayman, the perpetrators of the kidnapping). Others will be in more poor, passive roles such as gas station attendants and general store owners.

At first I thought I could easily include black characters but now I am not so sure.

**_Should they be happy regulars_** at the risk of resurrecting the "Happy Darky" myth, prevalent in older stories like Gone with the Wind?

Or **_should they be pissed off at the situation_** like the hilariously woke and sarcastic Burma Jones from Confederacy of Dunces?

The 1930s was one of the worst eras for black people, with segregation, rise of the KKK, indentured servitude, lack of opportunities, etc.

Even though there are multiple murders involved in the plot, none are shown so candidly. I don't feel qualified to deal with such high-stakes racial themes in a children's cartoon - when there are so many great black animators out there.

_Sidenote: the 1930s were a time of antisemetism as well. However, I am avoiding writing about Jewish themes, even though I'm Jewish. I just don't feel comfortable working that into the plot._

It would also be wrong to avoid black characters altogether: that's a cop-out, and plus I genuinely want black people to relate to my story.

But I don't know what role they should have in this story and in this time period.

What do you guys think?

Original score: 11