The mayor of Boston has defended the decision to bar white people from a holiday celebration.
We host a lot of parties during the Christmas season. Additionally, there are lots of chances for people to get together and celebrate,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said to reporters on December 13. “I’ve been a part of an organization that has been around for more than ten years in Massachusetts that brings together elected officials of color from all levels of government. It’s a space where people come to celebrate and the hosts and locations kind of rotate.
It kind of goes around, you know. We’re going to have a great time at the Parkman House, which is where I drew the straw to host it this year.”
But was it right to throw a party from which some officials were purposefully left out?
“Again, we celebrate with everyone in different ways. The entire city council as well as all of our elected colleagues have been invited to several holiday parties, Ms. Wu stated.”And I can’t wait to see everyone who can make it to all of those. More invitations have likely been sent out than anyone can attend. However, I’m very appreciative of the spaces.”
Speaking first was Ms. Wu, an Asian American woman, whose black assistant was inviting every city council member to an “electeds of color holiday party.”
There are white city council members.
As reported by the Boston Herald, the assistant wrote, “I hope this cleared up any confusion.”
Emails were sent to people who weren’t really invited, according to Ms. Wu, who called this “an honest mistake.”
The party was defended by city councilors who were genuinely invited.
Black councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson stated, “It’s quite natural for elected officials of color to get together for a holiday celebration, just like there are groups that meet based on shared interests or cultural backgrounds.”
According to Councillor Ricardo Arroyo, “never let facts get in the way of some manufactured outrage” (X). “Electeds of Colour” has been around for more than ten years, and the holiday celebration is a yearly event. Hold off on telling them about the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus or the Congressional Black Caucus. The horror!
It was “unfortunate and divisive,” according to white councilor Frank Butler, who told the Herald, that not all councilors were invited. Former councilor Michael McCormack asserted that previous administrations would not have done so.
“It’s not something that anyone in the mayor’s office should be proud of,” he said.
“What if the opposite had occurred—what if a white mayor had invited all the non-white members of the City Council to a party that was exclusively for white people at a building owned by the city, and no one else was invited?” Howie Carr, a local columnist, wrote something in his column.
Like Ms. Wu, nearly every councillor in Boston is a Democrat.
Before taking office as mayor in 2021, Ms. Wu, 38, served as a city councillor.
On Instagram, Ms. Wu posted a photo from the celebration along with the caption, “A special moment to appreciate that our affinity group now includes leadership across city, state, county, and federal offices.”
There did not seem to be any white people in the photo. It depicted councillors and other people seated around a table following a meal.
“We didn’t need such a big table to fit electeds of colour in Boston not too long ago,” Ms. Wu remarked. “But over my time as a city councillor and now mayor, following so many leaders who have paved the way, I’ve proudly watched this group grow and create space for mentorship and fellowship among many who are breaking down barriers while holding the weight of being the first or only.”
