The Romance Writers of America announced this week it had rescinded its annual writing award from one of the winners following criticism that the novel romanticized the killing of Native Americans. The controversy follows a shakeup over racism accusations that led to the resignation of RWA's president and board of directors last year, The Washington Post reported.

"At Love's Command" by Karen Witemeyer received a 2021 Vivian Award in the Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements category during a July 31 virtual awards ceremony. A panel of 13 judges had selected the winners, but some readers and authors took to social media to criticize Witemeyer's depiction of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.

"As a board, we learned of the winner at the VIVIAN Ceremony, along with the rest of the membership," RWA's board said in an Aug. 3 statement. "The board has held an emergency meeting and are in agreement that the proper remedy is to rescind the VIVIAN award for ‘At Love's Command.'"

"RWA is in full support of First Amendment rights; however, as an organization that continually strives to improve our support of marginalized authors, we cannot in good conscience uphold the decision of the judges in voting to celebrate a book that depicts the inhumane treatment of indigenous people and romanticizes real-world tragedies that still affect people to this day," the board's statement continued.

In a previous statement on Aug. 2, RWA had defended the novel for its "redemptive arc."

"The character can't be redeemed by human means; only through their spiritual/religious awakening can they find redemption for their moral failings and or crimes against humanity," the board had said.

A previous controversy at RWA ignited when author Kathryn Lynn Davis filed a complaint in 2019 against author Courtney Milan after Milan publicly accused Davis of perpetuating racist stereotypes about Chinese women in one of her novels. RWA disciplined Milan, a move that prompted a backlash from many of the association's members. RWA eventually reversed its decision, but not before Milan and several board members resigned from the group in protest. RWA ended the RITA Awards in 2020 and introduced the Vivians, which are named after Vivian Stephens, founder of RWA and an African American editor who helped bring more women of color into the industry and onto the pages of romance novels.

In 2020, RWA "took on the enormous task of creating a welcoming and open atmosphere from an organization that had institutionalized barriers and prejudices," the board said in its Aug. 3 statement.

"We have updated our bylaws to put inclusion at the forefront of membership," the statement continued. "We are in the process of implementing an organization-wide DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) program. We have created mentorships and outreach to marginalized authors through an Own Voices Program and have implemented a Pen to Paper Program to assist new writers in completing their first romance novel."

The 2021 Vivian finalists were the most diverse class in the history of RWA awards, according to the board's statement: 17% were "marginalized authors" compared to 4% in the last RITA Awards.
The Houston-based association reported revenue of $2.2 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2019.

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