I appreciate reading your opinion since, being Caucasian, I stop and think maybe I'm being oblivious to something I shouldn't be oblivious to. In this instance, I just felt there was no other character that could fit the role being created here (someone we cared about dying, whose absence wouldn't affect the the overall arcs) and Kandyse's/Dee's race wasn't a factor.

Simon, on the other hand ;)....yeah, he tends to often be cut out of the episodes or forgotten all together or, my favorite, in the episode without any lines. :/