After the White House Correspondents Association axed Amber Ruffin from appearing at its annual dinner as a featured speaker, the comic was tapped to host PEN America’s gala fundraiser this May.
The association claimed that excluding Ruffin from the dinner was due to its decision to focus on journalistic achievements. However, according to The Associated Press, PEN America praised the writer for her talent. PEN co-interim CEO Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said, “She is truly emblematic of the talented creators who we need on stages and in writers’ rooms during a time of unprecedented censorship in this country. We’re both delighted and honored to have her with us.”
Ruffin believes she was cut from the speaking engagement after she was told by event organizers of the White House Correspondents Association, “You need to be equal and be sure that you give it to both sides.” In response to the suggestion, the comic told Daily Beast in March, “I was like, ‘There’s no way that’s going to happen.’”
Ruffin, who has written for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, has been hit with criticism from White House staff members like deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, who called her a “second-rate comedian.” However, PEN America thinks otherwise. The organization called the CNN host’s satire and social commentary “brilliant” and described her talent as “exceptional.” According to PEN, its organization intersects literature and human rights. Its mission is to protect free expression in the U.S. and worldwide by supporting the freedom to write and celebrating the power of words to transform the world.
The fundraiser event expands on its mission as it will recognize trailblazers like Wesleyan University President Michael Roth. Roth, who has addressed the Trump administration’s attempts to cut research funding for Columbia University, Harvard University, and other schools, will be presented with the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. PEN America celebrates Roth for “his unwavering commitment to defending academic freedom, protecting protest rights, and resisting attempts to silence dissent in higher education.”
Ruffin will host PEN America’s gala fundraiser May 15.
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