This afternoon on Twitter, Amy Schumer asked her followers to put down their torches and read a short statement she wrote asking not to be judged based on jokes she makes that involve race.

“I am a comic,” the statement began. “I will joke about things you like and I will joke about things you aren’t comfortable with.” She asked fans to trust that any jokes involving race were exactly that– jokes– and not indications of a bias or prejudice. “Playing with race,” she added, “is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics.”

Schumer goes on to deny having a “blind spot for racism”, and says that making racial humor isn’t “lazy.” In her statement she also make it clear that she has no plans to play it safe, even in the face of disagreement. “I love what I do and won’t let anyone take that away,” she said. Schumer asked that her fans trust that she isn’t a racist. “My fight is for all people to be treated equally,” and advises anyone who thinks differently to “move on to the next person who is more deserving of your scrutiny.” She signs her statement, “sincerely Amy, a dirty half jew.”

Amy, you don’t have to defend yourself against every criticism. It just brings more attention to a ridiculous charge. Everyone knows that you joke about race and you’r not a racist. Everyone knows that you joke about feminism but you are a feminist. You don’t have to defend yourself on Twitter. Your career is blowing up at an exponential rate, and that will always bring out critics looking for a weak spot. Just do your act it speaks for itself.

Schumer’s statement appears to respond to a recent Guardian article by Monica Heisey, about Amy’s career that praised the comic but also threw a few stones. In the article Heisey praised Schumer’s comedic skills but accused Schumer of having a “shockingly large blind spot around race.” Heisey complained about Schumer’s jokes about Latina women at the MTV Awards, and some of her jokes from Schumer’s stand up special. The Guardian article quoted another critic, Anne Theriault from The Daily Dot, who earlier this week who accused Schumer of only being a feminist for white women.

Put down your torches before reading this so you don't catch on fire. pic.twitter.com/JyRQGvFuX8 — Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) June 28, 2015

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