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As a Russian Far-easterner living in the US, I’d like to say that it’s also a good idea to not utilize stereotypes and shallow characters when you depict ANY “other,” regardless of their skin color. That includes the “otherness” of ethnicity, gender, class, etc.
Shortly speaking, try to understand your characters (not only the protagonists), their motivation, the human condition that made them who they are. Even the antagonists you despise should better be understood by the author on some human level (as some psychiatrists says, “his past didn’t justify his actions, but it explained them”).
It’s okay to point out some traits unique to their culture (cultures, after all, are just agglomerations of traits widespread among a group of people), but don’t overly rely on them, as they rarely tell the story of that unique individual. For example, an average American does like to eat burgers (hell, I do); does it really tell the reader anything about that character’s personality, though? Be especially careful with traits/features that are overused. (E.g., Russians and vodka; not because Russians don’t drink, but because it’s just such a low effort “observation,” and you have no idea how many jokes about it I’ve heard from well-meaning people who simply tried to break the ice that way.)
BTW, for my personal use, I try to treat stereotypes the same way as I treat verbal cliches. A metaphor usually becomes a cliche not because it’s a bad metaphor; it’s because it’s so good that everyone starts using it, and after a while it becomes a verbal garbage that fails to invoke any emotions. Same with racial/ethnic/gender/class stereotypes. Once something’s been overused, it’s no longer fresh, so it’s better to drop it even if it doesn’t imply anything bad. (Returning to the example of a Russian and his vodka; Russians do drink vodka, a lot, and it’s okay to mention it in the book, but that mention should better be either something very unique or extremely fleeting and matter-of-factly; if not sure, better not mention it).
As for excluding the “others” from one’s writing, I think this is actually counterproductive. Segregation is what’s got us here, and I don’t think it’s a good idea of segregate our artistic expression out of the fear that we won’t satisfy everyone.
That being said, do research your topics and characters. Understand your characters and their conditions. By all means, involve sensitivity readers and listen to what they say. If you gain success, it’s probably a good idea to share some of it with authentic voices that deserve to be heard (just mention them, recommend their books, etc.).
