Boston's mayor on Wednesday defended a party her office hosted for "electeds of color," after she faced backlash when an invite to the party was mistakenly sent to white members of the city council.
"I've been a part of a group that gathers, representing elected officials of color across all different levels of government in Massachusetts," Mayor Michelle Wu (D.) said after the party drew controversy, according to WCVB Boston. "A group that has been in place for more than a decade, and the opportunity to create a space for people to celebrate and rotate who hosts."
A city employee on behalf of the mayor on Tuesday sent to the entire city council an email inviting them to an "Electeds of Color Holiday Party" scheduled for the next day, the Boston Herald reported. The employee then sent a follow-up email which said that she sent it to everyone by accident, and apologized if it offended anyone or caused confusion.
"There are many, many events that are private events for all different sorts of groups so we've clarified that and look forward to seeing everyone at one of the dozens of other opportunities to celebrate the holidays together," Wu said, according to NBC 10 Boston.
"I think we all have been in a position at one point where an email went out and there was a mistake in the recipients," she added, "so there was truly just an honest mistake that happened in issuing the invitation."
Members of the city council who attended the event also defended it. Councilor-at-large Ruthzee Louijeune said the party was "not at all divisive." Outgoing member Ricardo Arroyo called the controversy "much-to-do about nothing in terms of having a holiday party," adding that white members were not invited "because they don't share those experiences" of people of color.
In July, New York University faced a federal civil rights lawsuit after it hosted an anti-racism workshop that advertised itself as directed toward white people. The university said later that the seminar was "open to all" but added that its materials were "not clear enough" that all could attend.