A Statement and Action Plan from Romance Writers of America
June 5, 2020
It's tough to write about happily ever after right now.
And it's difficult to find the right words—the perfect words—to talk about this, but now is a time when finding perfect words isn't nearly as important as simply speaking up.
Standing up.
As an organization that just went through a massive crisis for many of the same reasons that underscore these protests for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many more —injustice, racism, and unfairness—we acknowledge that we have turned aside from confronting difficult truths for far too long. That our authors from marginalized communities, especially our Black authors, have been treated as somehow less deserving of a seat at the table of publishing. We must admit and learn from this shameful past, while standing up for our goal and commitment to make the future better. We stand together in the fight against systemic racism.
This Board of Directors ran on a platform of rebuilding RWA into RWA 2.0: an organization built around the core principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA). We've been working hard on policy and other initiatives to address these crucial issues, through such work as building a new Code of Ethics, developing new DEIA training modules that will be an integral part of RWA membership, and creating new, inclusive chapter leadership training materials. We have also retired an award that had become tarnished by racism, in order to create a brand new award centered around principles of inclusion.
But now is the time to do even more.
RWA is taking the following steps in addition to our continuing work on diversity issues and continuing efforts to make our organization a safe place for Black writers:
- We invite all Black authors in RWA to attend our first online conference, to be held August 28-30, at no charge. This admission will include the recordings of the conference
- We will make 100 scholarships to our online conference available to non-member Black writers
- We are making it a priority to find new resources to add to our Diversity and Inclusion Resources page on our website
- We will direct our Academic Grants Committee to seek out Black academics studying romance to consider for RWA grants
This is a time when so many of us are terrified, alone, and feeling helpless. We offer the following links, for those who wish to learn more or find a way to contribute.
To Learn:
We Need Diverse Books Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion
Social Justice Books for YA and Children
A Children's Book List for Anti-racist Activism
Obama Foundation -- Information, Action, Engagement
Anti-racist Reading List from Publishers Weekly
Campaign Zero
The Unplug Collective
Black, Disabled, and Proud
To Donate:
Black Lives Matter
The American Civil Liberties Union
The NAACP
Color of Change
National Bail Out
Reclaim the Block
Communities United Against Police Brutality
Movement for Black Lives
Black Youth Project
LGBTQ Freedom Fund
We Need Diverse Books
Mental Health:
Therapy for Black Girls
12 Therapy and Wellness Resources for Black Mental Health
Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation
The Siwe Project
Inclusive Therapists
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
As writers, we have a duty to the world to offer our stories. As romance writers, we have a sacred trust to bring stories of love, hope, and happiness to a world that is suffering through very difficult times. What we write, how we write, and how we reach out to our fellow authors and our community is important. We must work together to destroy the status quo that has persisted in punishing people for the color of their skin for far too long.
Let's join together to bring RWA and the publishing community into a better future for all of us.
The Board of Directors of Romance Writers of America