The office of Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston is in damage control after sending an invitation to a holiday party for elected officials that excluded white people.
The invitation for an “Electeds of Color Holiday Party” was accidentally sent to all 13 members of the Boston City Council by an aide, the New York Post reported; seven of the council members are white. The aide emailed an apology 15 minutes later, the Post reported.
“I wanted to apologize for my previous email regarding a Holiday Party for tomorrow,” Denise DosSantos, who served as Director of City Council Relations for Mayor Wu, wrote according to the Boston Herald. “I did send that to everyone by accident, and I apologize if my email may have offended or came across as so. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.”
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Wu, who previously came under fire after it was reported she sent police a list of critics and protesters earlier this year, had been asked to host the annual event, a spokesperson for the mayor told the Herald. Wu’s spokesperson claimed that she had been “harassed and physically intimidated.”
“Mayor Wu is NOT dreaming of a white Christmas,” Boston-area talk-radio host Howie Carr posted on X. “And she will NOT be serving white wine tonight. Or white-meat chicken.”
One member of the city council defended the exclusionary invitation in an email to DosSantos, who is from the Cape Verde Islands, the Herald reported.
“Your email should not offend anyone and there is absolutely no confusion,” Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson wrote to DosSantos, according to the Herald. “Just like there are groups that meet based on shared interests or cultural backgrounds, it’s completely natural for elected officials of color to gather for a holiday celebration.”
Wu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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