Issues of diversity and inclusion in publishing

 Happy Wednesday, writers!

This is probably the most controversial part of my RWA conference round-up, so I thought I'd put it first. :)
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While at RWA, during the Rita ceremony (the Rita's are the romance industry awards), Suzanne Brockman gave a speech that polarized and edified at the same time. (minute :56 if it doesn't autostart in the right place).

And this additional acceptance speech by Kristin Hannah (I saved this at 1:53. I tried to get it to auto start there, but I'm not sure that translated).

Brockman had very specific and personal complaints about the way in which we shy away from diverse characters in the romance writing industry, as did Rita winner Kristin Hannah (see 1:53 in the video).

I do value diversity and believe we have to work to create a diverse environment in our real world and our writing world. In addition to my teaching at SNHU, I also teach at a community college. We deal with some of these same issues, so I start every semester with the video below. I want my students to know my expectations for the ways in which we treat each other based on "labels" that cannot begin to define a person.

When Twilight became a movie, the director made a conscious effort to include a diverse cast of characters just as the readers of the books were from diverse backgrounds. The same was true with the Harry Potter movies, but both authors received pushback from the inclusion of diverse characters. When a black actress was selected to play Hermione in the London play, fans went nuts (not in a good way), but JK Rowling stepped in immediately to say that she never wrote a specific skin color for the character of Hermione.

Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione □ https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015

​Obviously both of those writers had the power to be allies for diverse people and characters, and the rest of us most likely do not, but it's valuable to think of this as you embark on your writing careers. No matter your personal beliefs and story characters, can you be an ally to writers who are more diverse?

RWA is responding to this bias in publishing, which includes a new program to help promote diverse voices.

Finally, the attached article is a response to the speech that is both insightful and painful.

I am a firm believer in creating real worlds in our stories, and that includes people of diverse beliefs and backgrounds, but as the above examples show, not all publishers are ready for diversity. We see similar stories in other genres, with SciFi discussing issues of how women are portrayed, as you can see in the video "He for She in Science Fiction".

There are no easy answers, for writers or members of the human race, but food for thought as the writing industry, and our country, face many of these questions. As I close, I want to repeat the question I posed earlier: No matter your personal beliefs and story and characters, can you be an ally to writers who are more diverse?

Announced today! In honor of trailblazer Beverly Jenkins, Avon Books to start sponsorship to foster diverse voices at the RWA National Conference through 2023! #RWA18 https://t.co/7QfOSLXoAH

— RWA (@romancewriters) July 18, 2018