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All the remaining board members of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) have stepped down after the organisation became engulfed in a row over racism.
The association faced a huge backlash after suspending Courtney Milan, who had criticised another author’s work as a "racist mess". Its president later quit and the RWA had to cancel its annual RITA awards ceremony following an author boycott.
Yesterday (12th February), the RWA announced the remaining board members had quit "in the best interests of the association", and members would be asked to vote for a new board.
The members said in a statement: "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 centre as we have confronted the challenges of the past eight weeks.
"We believe that the board must have the trust of the membership and that this is the best way forward to achieve that. We believe RWA can and will be a place of inclusion and respect. We tender our resignations in support of the organisation and its mission."
They said the move would not affect an independent audit announced following the saga.