An exclusive holiday bash for "electeds of color" put on by Mayor Michelle Wu's office whipped up a flurry of controversy after invites erroneously went out to the entire Boston City Council, raising the ire of some uninvited members. Denise DosSantos, Wu's director of City Council relations, blasted out the initial invitation, only to follow up with an apology 15 minutes later, as reported by Boston 25 News. "I apologize if my email may have offended or came across as so," DosSantos said in a statement that seemed eager to temper the unintended snub.
As the city buzzed with reactions, Mayor Wu, addressing the blunder yesterday afternoon, likened the event to other identity-celebrating gatherings, stating, "We want to be a city where everyone’s identity is embraced… and there are spaces and communities we can help support," in a conversation with Boston 25 News, her words suggesting an ethos of inclusiveness even within the context of the decidedly exclusive fête, aiming to foster unity rather than division amidst the council's roiling waters where past small storms have erupted into larger controversies.
Outgoing City Councilor Frank Baker, left out in the cold by the party snafu, offered a candid take on the furor, telling NBC Boston, "I think the holidays is a time for people, everybody, to get together, so we will see what happens," and further alluded to the council's struggles with unity, claiming the party sent out a "divisive" vibe.
Meanwhile, defenders of the celebration, like Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, struck back, saying the event was about creating "spaces for people, and communities and identities with shared experiences to come together," she described during Wednesday's post-meeting fray, with Councilor Ricardo Arroyo echoing the sentiment, pointing out someone wanted to stoke the fires by making this an inflammatory issue, according to a statement obtained by NBC Boston.
Michael McCormack, a former member of the City Council, insinuated that this wasn't the wisest move for a city trying to navigate the precarious waters of race relations: "The problem is that Boston and race, unfortunately, are synonymous," McCormack expounded in an interview with The Boston Herald. The event has been a fixture for over a decade, with this year's edition falling to Mayor Wu, an Asian-American official, to host—a task seemingly routine until the email oversight skewed the Council's festive spirit into a dodgeball match of political correctness.
