Seconding Parable of the Sower/Parable of the talents. Strong female characters as well as mainly non-white characters.
I would also suggest Elizabeth Moon's Serrano series, great, gripping space opera with fantastic female characters from a variety of races. Despite the covers almost always showing a white woman, Heris Serrano is very definitely written as a PoC.
Hope you don't mind me joining in the conversation, I was pointed in this direction by miss_s_b's links post here http://miss-s-b.dreamwidth.org/1240598.html where she links to both your post and Alex Dally MacFarlane's about Eastercon. Thanks for raising these issues, it's so blindingly obvious that there is a problem, but it's only blindingly obvious if you're not the one sitting in the (white/straight/male) position of privilege and power.
no subject
I would also suggest Elizabeth Moon's Serrano series, great, gripping space opera with fantastic female characters from a variety of races. Despite the covers almost always showing a white woman, Heris Serrano is very definitely written as a PoC.
Hope you don't mind me joining in the conversation, I was pointed in this direction by miss_s_b's links post here http://miss-s-b.dreamwidth.org/1240598.html where she links to both your post and Alex Dally MacFarlane's about Eastercon. Thanks for raising these issues, it's so blindingly obvious that there is a problem, but it's only blindingly obvious if you're not the one sitting in the (white/straight/male) position of privilege and power.