in case you guys were wondering the reason i was on that site, it was to prove with hard data that if you have a story set in california and your whole cast is white
you’re wrong
it varies by area but as a local let me tell you, as a californian, seeing a cast of all white characters is a noticeable difference no matter where it’s set
ps: according to this site, latinos are apparently the largest ethnic group in california by now, so if your way of including poc is to only include 1 or 2 african american individuals with complete disregard to the latino population of the state, while still having the white characters outnumber them anyways, that’s really not that much better
God, yes. My certainties about this go back to a 1990 production, at the New York Shakespeare festival, of Henry IV, which had a diverse cast that blew my young mind wide open, and in the assigned critique of it I still remember writing “…better than watching a bunch of white people standing around with their hands on their swords.”
Representation is not politically correct, it is real and it matters.
In your art, contribute with some inclusiveness. It costs you nothing, and it makes the world a better place.