Since I’ve seen a few asks on your page discussing the folkloric origins of the zombie, I wanted to share a bit of slightly related film history that suits this page.
I don’t know how up on film history you are but what’s widely considered the first zombie movie (albeit it never uses the word zombie), Night of the Living Dead, has the heroic lead Ben played by a Black actor, Duane Jones. It came out in 1968 and Ben wasn’t written to be Black, but George Romero just ended up casting him because Jones gave the best audition (and he is really incredible, this is a favorite film of mine and his performance is a big reason). Obviously though, because of the casting choice of Ben (in addition to the era in which the film was made) the lenses you can analyze it through increase (with the way the other characters treat him despite the fact that he’s the only one actively thinking and planning and being competent, and also the ending hits in a different way as examples). One of my favorite horror heroes honestly.
I've never got to see this one, but from I've heard it's absolutely a great example of what happens when you cast a Black person in a role that wasn't meant to be "Black", and how that can change the dynamic of that character and of the meaning of a story.
Duane Jones actually had a huge part in the development of Ben's characterization. Originally Ben was supposed to be an uneducated truck driver sort of guy, that would shout crude remarks and demands. Jones revised his lines to create a more sophisticated character that could be seen as the rational, competent leader.
He also decided how the movie would end for his character.
Spoilers for the end of Night of the Living Dead:
