Boston Councilor Calls 'Electeds Of Color' Party Invite 'Divisive'

BOSTON, MA — The mayor’s director of city council raised some eyebrows and drew criticism from a city councilor after mistakenly sending all councilors an email inviting them to a holiday party meant only for "electeds of color," the Boston Herald reported.

The email, sent by Denise DosSantos on behalf of Mayor Michelle Wu, was meant to invite only the six councilors of color to a party Wednesday, excluding the seven white councilors, according to the Herald. However, the email was mistakenly sent to all councilors.

Fifteen minutes later, DosSantos, sent out an apology.

"I wanted to apologize for my previous email regarding a Holiday Party for tomorrow," DosSantos wrote. "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."

Read the full report at the Boston Herald.

The use of the term "elected officials of color" in Wu's administration is not exclusively internal. A news release shared last year on the official website of Rep. Ayanna Pressley, one of Boston's elected officials of color, refers to them as such.

Councilor Frank Baker, who is white, called the decision to exclude some members as “unfortunate and divisive," but added he wasn't offended.

Patch reached out to Mayor Wu's office for comment.