thepalmtoptiger:

I would just like to thank @maggie-stiefvater for this post. It’s something that I’ve said many times before.

As a black member of the fandom, every time I see white people demanding Ronan be black, I cringe. I understand some people are trying to be allies or rally for diversity, but it’s so often completely misguided and also rooted in racism. You want the character who is prone to violence and self destructive behavior to be black. The troublemaker, the deliquent. Because it’s so easy in real life to ascribe those characteristics to black people. And quite frankly in this series it makes little sense. Do you honestly think in this racial climate police officer would see a black kid street racing would just slap them a simple ticket and walk away. That a store owner would see an underaged black kid trying to by alcohol and turn a blind eye. That in Virginia, which isn’t that far south but still the South, a black person wouldn’t face more discrimination regardless of if their family had money.

Why can’t you say “make Noah black” or “make Gansey black”. Why is the only other character you might want to see black is Adam, who is poor and from an abusive home. A lot of the white people crusading for diversity and claiming to be allies are just feeding on their own racism which they think they’re above.

I also appreciate that Maggie has spoke up about this and is aware of the implications her work has. She has a lot more awareness now than she did before and has taken the time to grow. I hope she and more white people can continue to be more self aware and actually listen to black people instead of assuming what we want.