On Tuesday, October 13, the writer Amy Roost posted a gripe to a private Facebook group about the rudest rejection she’d ever received. Roost, who is white, had emailed editor Senti Sojwal in hopes of finding a home for a timely essay about hate crimes against hijabi women — and Sojwal, who was looking only for submissions from black or Asian writers, was livid at Roost’s audacity.
“It is so offensive to assume you have a right to take up space in a platform clearly not meant for you,” she wrote.
A brief tiff ensued: Roost apologized — she had mistaken the AAWW (Asian American Writers Workshop) for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) — but also criticized Sojwal for lacking professionalism. Sojwal replied, accusing Roost of racism.
Then, the Facebook post.
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