As a child growing up in Canada, I don't recall reading many books about characters that weren't white, which seems unusual for a multicultural country. When considering many of the books I've read over the years - including bestsellers - I believe the majority featured mainly Caucasian characters. Interesting.
I now go out of my way to read and write books with characters that reflect diversity. Why is it important? Well, because it's realistic. That's our world. Why do we need it now more than ever? Turn on the news, and you might get an idea. Governments and narrow-minded groups are attempting to divide us in many different ways, but the beauty of books, movies, and television is that we can bring us together and show that we aren't so different after all.
