ELI STEELE: You're RACIST, Mayor Wu!

Hey all,

Normally, I wouldn’t write such a subject line but that was the first part of the title that Daily Mail wrote for my opinion piece on Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu and her controversial holiday party that excluded whites. Here’s a pic of the full and rather punchy title:

I was already having a busy enough of a week with that first piece on Claudine Gay that I first posted onto X(twitter - 6M views!) and then got picked up by Newsweek. Right after I sent out my last substack to you, Bari Weiss republished the same piece at The Free Press. (A lot of very interesting comments there.) The piece also got picked up by other publications like Real Clear Politics and even the NY Post gave it a shoutout. Then Daily Mail asked me on Thursday to give my take on the Mayor Wu controversy.

At first, I was going to say no when I remembered a powerful story from my youth about how a black militant hijacked my grandmother’s funeral in the mid-1980s. It wound up being the perfect contrast to Mayor Wu’s debacle, so I gave the piece a go and below are the first lines (or click here for the full piece):

When I learned that Boston's mayor Michelle Wu hosted a racially segregated holiday party for the city council's 'Electeds of Color,' I wondered: would I have been invited?

After all, my father is black, but my skin looks white.

The 'no whites' gathering was exposed this week after a city employee accidentally emailed invitations to Caucasian council members before hurriedly rescinding the offers.

If I had received an invite — by mistake or not — I would have headed over to Mayor Wu's office for an explanation.

My mother is Jewish, and my paternal grandmother was white. But my paternal grandfather was black and had Native American ancestry.

Would I be allowed in the doors?

I have treaded these racialized waters before, so I can imagine that the mayor, when confronted with my complex identity, would have replied, 'Of course, you are one of the 'Electeds of Color.'

Though, her answer would be meaningless.

Neither my complexion nor my race reveal anything substantial about me or my character.

'Throughout the year, we work to represent our communities with urgency and determination,' Mayor Wu boasted on Instagram Friday, while posting a picture of the 'Electeds of Color' party. 'At the holidays, we take the time to celebrate…'

You're wrong, Mayor Wu.

This is not something to celebrate…

To read the rest of the piece, please click here.

Lastly, I think we’re entering a new phase of the culture war. We still have a long ways but I’m noticing that more people are finding courage. They’re giving in far less to white guilt — the fear of being seen as racist. The American principles are more important. Folks like Mayor Wu will continue to dig in but they know that more and more of us are refusing to be gaslit anymore. This is progress.

As always, I love hearing your thoughts and comments. I read them all and appreciate them even though I may not respond to all.

My best,

Eli