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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42041
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

First, thank you for asking this question. All too often, I encounter things in the media where I desperately wish people had asked questions like this beforehand. It can be especially painful in the kids' sector (which has made less progress in the last 30 years since I was a child than I might have hoped). With all that said, **this is a real genuine challenge**. Here are what I see as the options:

- To hell with historical accuracy, **just present 30's Arizona as a colorblind society.** For me as a viewer of color, this is far from ideal, but better than either being excluded entirely, and/or only showing up in menial roles, both of which are pretty noxious. It's basically the colorblind casting concept. Not perfect, but the easiest option that's at least making an effort. A variation on this would be resetting your concept in a 1930s themed alternate reality, science-fiction or fantasy setting that doesn't imply any historical accuracy.

- **Get a consultant of color**. It really does make a difference. I can always tell when watching a movie or a television show who actually has writers of color on the staff, and who doesn't. I'm assuming this is low or maybe zero budget, but maybe you have a friend who would enjoy having impact on the creative process.

- Put the time and research in, and do it right. **If you look hard enough, you might be able to find a historically accurate character and/or community that doesn't fall into the stereotypes**. For instance, towns of the time were generally segregated. So, on the black side of town, you would have _an entire second community_ --with its own doctors, lawyers, store owners, and so forth. You could set a storyline or two in one of those communities. When everyone is black, you don't have to worry as much about stereotypes, because one character doesn't have to represent a whole race. I have to admit, even one or two episodes like this would make this a much more interesting show to me (personally) because it would be showing something new (to the viewer). You could do a similar episode in a Jewish community, which would allow you to sidestep the antisemitism issue.

It sucks that there are no good options that are also easy. But the truth is that you can't avoid politics. Even things that seem neutral are often just quietly propping up the status quo. Sometimes the most innocuous seeming entertainment is really the most noxious if you look a little deeper. With that in mind, let me challenge you a little: **Why are you doing this particular story --one that doesn't connect at all to your own identity?** That's something I've been wrestling with in my own work. On the one hand I don't want to be forced into only writing about people of color. But when I don't focus on people of color, I ended up producing work that I wouldn't be personally excited about if I was a reader. There's plenty of other people out there who can write the mainstream-oriented stories.

Original score: 7