The White Default

I am hard at work revising a novel. A member of my book group asked me if my main character is white and, if so, do I describe her race. Coincidentally, I have two trusted readers who in giving feedback on the manuscript asked the same question. Is this white privilege in action where whiteness is the default race so writers find it unnecessary to say when a character is white? 

The fix is easy. I do say that my main character has curly copper-colored hair, and I have a scene where a stylist is applying make-up on her face. I can easily have the stylist comment on the main character’s complexion. 

The thing that I’m still processing is how whiteness as the default is so deeply ingrained in my thinking. I’m working on recognizing how my race privileges me even though I grew up with other disadvantages like being female and poor. I have a long way to go.