"Inclusion cannot co-exist with racism and bigotry. I will work with RWA leadership to deliver equitable solutions to make inclusion a reality for the marginalized authors of RWA."
On February 12, 2020, the remaining members of the Houston-based Romance Writers of America Board of Directors resigned from office. Prior to their resignations, the board set a special election–with voting opening on March 13 and closing on March 20–for the RWA membership to elect a newly constituted Board of Directors to serve out their current terms (through August 31, 2020).
“We believe that stepping down to allow for new leadership chosen by the membership is in the best interests of the association. The Board has always wanted what is best for Romance Writers of America, and we still do. This desire has been the driving force behind every decision we have made to try to navigate RWA during this difficult time. We have tried hard to keep the best interests of RWA front and center as we have confronted the challenges of the last eight week," the board members who resigned said in a statement.
The RWA board members who resigned said that the decision to resign will not affect the ongoing independent audit being conducted by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, or the board's “commitment to share the audit report with the membership in unedited, non-redacted form.”
The RWA ended 2019 as member concerns about its lack of diversity “nearly split the organization into pieces,” according to the Houston Chronicle. One RWA author who had worked to diversify the organization's ranks made a comment on Twitter about another author's work being a "racist (expletive) mess." That first author, Courtney Milan (the pen name of attorney Heidi Bond), was censured by the RWA, prompting an exodus of members from the RWA and its board in protest.
The flashpoint was a long time coming, as RWA authors had decried their lack of representation–both in publishing and the organization's RITA Awards. This year's RITAs were cancelled as the organization dealt with fallout from its internal conflict.
On February 13, RWA Interim Executive Director Leslie Scantlebury announced that RWA had engaged diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expert Michelle Silverthorn of Inclusion Nation to help make the organization into a more inclusive professional home for romance authors “so that we can become a stronger, better advocate for all of our members.”
Silverthorn’s first priority will be helping RWA staff and membership in recruiting new board leadership. She will work with candidates on their understanding of racism, prejudice, and discrimination, learn their strategic approach to inclusion, review the candidate pool for adequate representation, and check that eligible members receive consideration free of identity bias. Silverthorn will also provide DEI training to current and incoming RWA staff and leadership.
"Inclusion cannot co-exist with racism and bigotry. I will work with RWA leadership to deliver equitable solutions to make inclusion a reality for the marginalized authors of RWA. If you wish to join me in this work, my (virtual) door is always open; if you have already moved on from this organization because of the pain and exclusion you have faced, my door is open to you as well if you ever want to talk. Your books have meant the world to me, they truly have, so thank you for entrusting me with the hard work of change,” Silverthorn said.
RWA staff will begin working with Silverthorn immediately to prepare for the new board of directors taking office on March 23.
The RWA is the world’s largest association of authors, and romance fiction is reportedly a $1 billion industry. The organization has deep ties to Houston. It began to form when Houston native and New York-based book editor Vivian Stephens attended a writers’ conference in her old hometown in 1979. She urged a group of romance writers to organize, and a year later, the RWA formed. The group held its first conference in Houston in 1981 and continues to be based in Houston.
