Thanks Miriam.
Yes there those of us white women who try to be aware and write of other cultures, other races,other genders.
Sometimes it works,sometimes not.
I think it requires responsibility and true and strong insight of your own perspectives
That being said-I would talk to your prof about the syllabus.It needs to be way more inclusive like maybe belle hooks - Fath Ringold - John Witmer - Wesley Lowry 
One needs to see writing from both sides other and same.
When I write if my own culture, I inherently want to self censure
and am always afraid of spilling the bones. Philip Roth and Chaim Potok had similar issues to my own.
Also many works are out of print for various reasons. Gwendolyn Brooks had a sonnet cycle about African American WWI soldiers coming home.
It's easier for me to do research on other groups not my own - if I do mine I get caught in cultural shoulds and shouldn'ts.
Good luck on your own research and work. Dig deep and hard.