Native American Heritage Day Canceled by New York Mets After Scheduling Mistake
MLB team the New York Mets were intending to honor Native Americans when instead they may have unintentionally offended them.
The ball club was planning an event with the American Indian Community House (A.I.C.H.), a non-profit New York based group, to have a special Native American heritage day at Citi Field on July 25.
But there was a glitch, as far as the Mets were concerned: they were scheduled to host the Atlanta Braves that day.
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"So in the past week, concerned that such activities might be interpreted by the Braves organization as a form of protest over its nickname, the Mets drastically reduced the day's activities: no singing, no dancing. And now there won't be any American Indians, either," an article from The New York Times read.
Now the A.I.C.H. has pulled out because of their increased frustration while working with the Mets.
"It was brought to my attention that we need to be sensitive to the Braves being a partner MLB team and can't put them in a situation for a potentially negative environment to be brought upon them," a Mets official wrote in an email to the organization. "I know this is not the plan, but sometimes people come to events under different agendas than expected. I'm not referring to [A.I.C.H.] or any of the organizations involved, but more about unknown groups that may want to change the perception of the event."
"Being a nonprofit in the city, we're not in the business of making enemies," Kevin Tarrant, the deputy director of the A.I.C.H., told The Times. "This whole thing wasn't even our idea. But it just feels like we're being marginalized again within our own community."
The organization was to buy $2,000 worth of tickets to block off a section for Native American families and people in the organization. The A.I.C.H. is now asking for a refund.
