Debating whether, as an anti-racist ally, I should rewrite a Black MC in my book to be white.

I've done my best to research, gotten beta readers, paid a sensitivity reader, and tried to do this right.

But I don't want my book to take a "diverse" spot from a Black writer.

I didn't want to write yet another story about a white guy in charge of everything. I still don't.

And I write romance. I don't want to deny other characters in my books their own love stories. Most of those characters aren't white. Changing this book only postpones the issue.

But if a Black person's story isn't mine to tell, then it's not my story to tell. And it's my responsibility to do the work and rewrite my story so I'm not stepping out of my lane.