In 2018, children from around the world are still taught about the most popular holiday mascot in history: Santa Claus. The large, bearded and jolly figure continues to captivate the hearts of children across continents.
Various African American Santa ornaments
The Origins of Santa Claus
Many are familiar with the origins of Santa Claus being tied to St. Nicholas of Myra, a region in Turkey. St. Nicholas lived around the fourth century in what is now present-day Turkey. After losing his parents at a young age Nicholas used his inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man.
In America most of our popular conceptions of Santa Claus, however, can be traced to 1823 when the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (aka “The Night Before Christmas”) was published in the Troy Sentinel. It was also during the latter half of the 19th century that much of the Santa Claus mythology took root, including his North Pole residence. During the 20th century, ad campaigns by competing soda drink companies Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and White Rock Beverages all depicted Santa Claus in his now iconic red and white suit.
Early Depictions of Black Santas
In his BBC News piece, “Secret History of Black Santas,” Brian Wheeler uncovers a long tradition of depicting ol’ St. Nick as Black as far back as the turn of the 20th century. In the early 20th century, there were accounts of black men dressing up as Santa, usually being met with racial slurs and insults. As the 20th century progressed ‘Black Santas’ were largely concentrated in African-American communities such as Harlem.
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For example, famed tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson suited up as Santa Claus in 1936 in Harlem for a children’s party. By the time of the Civil Right Movement, Black Santa became one of the many symbols of integration as groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) pushed for the inclusion of Black men to appear as Santa Claus in prominent department stores such as Macy’s.
Santa Claus, portrayed by Andre Parker, greets children at the Georgia Parent Teacher Association in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 21, 2023
Black Santa as a Symbol of Empowerment
In the 1960s, black Santa Claus became a symbol in the civil rights movement as a form of black empowerment. Many activists called out the portrayal of Santa as a white man as an example of whitewashing even childrens’ stories. More and more black Santas got hired to work in malls and department stores nationwide the following decade. Among them was the famous Macy’s flagship store in Manhattan.
However, this Santa Claus diversity would become an innocent bystander of the conservative cultural backlash against the election of the first Black president, Barack Obama, and the purported ‘post-racialism’ his election represented. Along with the fictional “War on Christmas,” there appears to be a campaign to ‘Make Santa White Again’ as in the recent case of an African-American family in North Little Rock, Arkansas who received a racist message from a white neighbor for displaying a Black Santa on their lawn.
In 2016, the decision by the Mall of America to host their first Black Santa in the mall’s history initially received a positive response, only later to be met with scorn and backlash on social media. The Mall generally received positive feedback about employing its first black Santa Claus. Many parents praised the decision, citing the value for their children to see Santa Claus as a person of the same skin color as them.
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The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s coverage of the act received many racist and derogatory comments on its online article. Jefferson wore a red suit and a Santa hat and sat down in his throne, taking pictures with hundreds of children every day.
Army veteran Larry Jefferson-Gamble, who is African-American, drew a racially mixed crowd-African-Americans, and a lot of white and Latino kids, too. Santa Larry told the Huffington Post, “Kids love Santa no matter what color you are.”
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The Significance of Representation
Though Santa Claus is a fictional character, there is not a fixed mold that determines what skin color he is. Rather, it should depend on how the people that love him perceive him. After all, Santa delivers presents to good-hearted children from all over the world, regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality. A black boy should be able to think and see Santa Claus, a caring and joyful person, as someone that looks like him.
Like many areas in American life, the symbols of Christmas are haunted by the specter of race hovering in the background. It’s perfectly understandable after all for parents to have their children associate Santa with their own cultural background. While the goal of creating a culturally representative depiction is important, I think it contains a fundamental flaw in terms of race and self-perception.
I’m not arguing for the elimination of Black Santa, or Wakandan-inspired Christmas stories, such as the recent Netflix sensation Jingle Jangle. Black children are routinely victims of early criminalization and adultification from their teachers, peers, and society, often for the same behaviors as white children. Therefore along with increased inclusion and representation, the ongoing racial disparities and criminal justice issues that disproportionately affect Black children must be addressed at the local, state, and federal level.
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When as a society we decide that Black childhoods matter, we will, in the spirit of St. I totally understand why it’s important that millions of Black children are exposed to a predominantly or exclusively Black Santa in their homes.
A collection of Black Santa ornaments
