A family got a racist note after putting up a Black Santa. Soon, neighbors began displaying their

[FSogol]

own black Santas.

From Sydney Page at the Washington Post

Chris Kennedy and his 4-year-old daughter, Emily, adorned their front lawn in North Little Rock, Ark., with Christmas decorations in early November, as they do every year.

They strung twinkly white lights along the rim of their home and stationed an inflatable Christmas tree and a towering Black Santa on the lawn, next to a colorful, illuminated sign that reads, “JOY.”

The spirited Christmas display, which the Kennedys have showcased for the last few holiday seasons, had only been met with cheer in their neighborhood of Lakewood, Kennedy said.

That changed Nov. 23, when Kennedy, 33, checked his mailbox and was stunned to find an anonymous, racist letter attacking the seven-foot Black Santa on his lawn. “Please remove your negro Santa Claus yard decoration,” the letter, signed “Santa Claus,” demanded. “You should try not to deceive children into believing that I am negro. I am a caucasian (white man, to you) and have been for the past 600 years. Your being jealous of my race is no excuse for your dishonesty. Besides that, you are making yourself the laughing stock of the neighborhood. Obviously, your values are not that of the Lakewood area and maybe you should move to a neighborhood out east with the rest of your racist kind.”

Rest of the story here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/12/03/black-santa-solidarity/

TLDNR version: The neighbors were appalled and everyone put up black Santas as a sign of solidarity.

[fearnobush]

1. Bravo! BLM forever.

[Dorian Gray]

2. Thank God

the neighbors stood behind him like that. What a total wimpy jerk off that person must be to write an anonymous letter like that.

[Trumpdumper]

3. Imagine if a creche depicted the true ethnicities of the principals

[Hekate]

19. The Magi-- Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior-- are nearly always depicted as brown and black...

Not just in skin tone but in features. Seriously, they are representative of African and Middle Eastern sages, and I think hailed from Persia (Iran) and were Zoroastrian astrologers.

Can’t do anything about Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, because I would guess that they represent whatever culture they found themselves in over the centuries, as Christianity spread across Western Europe. They are darker in Russian Orthodox and Byzantine icons.

Seek, and ye shall find.

Happy holidays!

[soldierant]

44. it's been said that, if you removed all the Jews, Arabs, and people of color,

you'd have nothing left but a flock of sheep and a jackass.

[ChazInAz]

48. There's a fine example in Atchison, Kansas.

I was just in that small city last month, in the heart of conservative, white bread Kansas.
Benedictine College was in the process of setting up a permanent art installation of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt, life size bronzes depicting them as African.
One could say that I was amazed and delighted!

[tblue37]

4. So many neighbors have ordered Black Santas that many retailers are apparently running low on supply

That’s why Tim Giattina’s Black Santa has yet to arrive. He and his wife are anxiously awaiting their package.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916

The Kennedy's now have TWO on their lawn:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916

[FSogol]

5. They also started getting donations that they are giving

To the local children's hospital.

[Demovictory9]

24. letter writer will be from the house without the black santa

[trueblue2007]

6. good for them, what a great neighborhood !!!

[crickets]

7. I love it when stories like this end happily.

Good on the neighbors for standing with the Kennedy family. That's real Christmas spirit.

[Karadeniz]

8. Good news from Arkansas!

[GulfCoast66]

9. I grew up in that neighborhood! From the time I was 10 till I graduated high school!

It was lily white then, but it was the 70’s.

Like all suburbs I’m sure it is now more diverse.

Even 40 years later I’m not surprised. It was one of the most educated neighborhoods at the time, although not at all super rich. It was very neighbor oriented then as well. People looked after each other. My best friends parents still live there.

This story made my night.

[iluvtennis]

10. Wow, some people are so petty. So glad the neighbors all joined together in solidarity. nt

[Clash City Rocker]

11. The original St. Nick was born in Greece and buried in Turkey, I believe

He was white, I guess, but not that white. And Santa is a magical figure. There are representations of him all over the world, in countries of every race. Santa represents all of us. This is such an example of white privilege and fragility that I can’t even put it into words. I’m so glad their neighborhood stood by them against whatever idiot wrote that letter. Thanks for posting.

[sprinkleeninow]

17. St. Nicholas. Wait till them vangelicalists see Christ up front and personal.

And they will one way or another.

They'll no doubt call Him: Fake, Fraud, Scam. And may want to 'fix' Him bcause of His dark complexion.

For being so 'spiritual' and showing vain 'holiness', many have no clue regarding their historical Jesus.

[catbyte]

12. I see Racist MAGAt doesn't know the proper form of you're:

[niyad]

26. Actually, if you are referring to "your being", the form is correct as the sentence is written.

[George II]

13. What a great story. Obviously trump hasn't poisoned the brains of ALL Americans.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Well that's progress

We had a lot of BLM signs over the fall, but there are still Biden/Hate/Satan signs about, and I wonder why we're not going a bit negative, such as Trump Lost signs, and Get Over It. I do see an occasional DumpTrump 2020 though

[amuse bouche]

15. Was that note written by Megyn Kelly? It's right up her alley

[Demovictory9]

23. font comic sans looks like to me

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=691

[soldierant]

45. o this - dude - says he's been white for 600 years? Really?

And , if so, what was he for the 1,150 years before that? Saint Nicholas of Myra was born in or around 270 BCE. He is the one who is identified witht the modern Santa Claus, at least in part on account of his reputation for giving to those in need ( and a few miracles.) He was a Greek born in what is now Turkey, and while we can't be sure, would most likely have been brown.

[AmericanCanuck]

16. Both Jesus and Santa Claus were actually brown and not white

However, for universal characters, race and ethnicity are irrelevant.

I hope they catch the guy that wrote the letter.

[twodogsbarking]

40. Aren't they both

the same character?

[Demovictory9]

20. wow.

[jmbar2]

21. Years ago, I moved into a solid black middle class neighborhood

Every Christmas, the whole neighborhood turned into a holiday lights and decorations extravaganza.

I took my little niece when she was three, pulling her through the neighborhood at night in her red wagon to see the lights and decor.

"Look, there's a chocolate Santa! A chocolate Charlie Brown, a chocolate Snow White, a chocolate Jesus! All of the characters were "chocolate". Most of them were skillfully homemade.

She noticed - and loved it. (We're white)

[LiberalFighter]

22. Only 600 years?

[emmaverybo]

25. To want to steal a family's Xmas joy! That note is a sick, vicious piece of hate speech that should

land its author in jail. The story’s last sentence brings tears. Still, I wish the twisted, racist letter-writer would be exposed. Hope to God the Kennedys stay safe. Hope to God, we make a better world for Emily.

[LuvNewcastle]

37. If we put everyone in jail who says

something mean and stupid, everybody would either be in jail or working at the jail as a cook or a guard. Whoever sent that letter is just some pathetic person with no life who is too much of a coward to tell this guy in person what he thinks about the stupid decorations. I have no problem with exposing this person and making fun of him, but there's no legal reason to throw him in jail.

[Joinfortmill]

27. 👍

[niyad]

28. It apparently was not written by an old neighbor, since the display has been done for years. I

would first be looking at any newcomers to that lovely neighborhood.of course, it could have been someone visiting!

But bless the neighbors for their solidarity!

Next up: women as Santa Claus.

[Aristus]

29. I wouldn't want a female Santa Claus.

Probably because I have a bit of a thing for Mrs. Claus.

That’s what I get for sneaking looks at the Playboy Christmas issues when I was a kid.

[niyad]

30. Tsk! Tsk! You might read the piece about why Santa is female.

[FSogol]

31. From a post of mine in 2018: when women became Santa

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10181157790

[niyad]

32. Thank you so much for sharing this. I missed it the first time!

[FSogol]

34. Anytime. N/t

[vercetti2021]

33. Looking into this a little more

It sounds like this is some edgy fucking stupid teenager trying to be a goddamn Troll and he really did a piss-poor job at it

[AllaN01Bear]

35. more of shean hannitys war on chirstmas . in some places he is called father christmas.

[The Conductor]

38. It gets even more interesting...

The small-minded bigots are also completely wrong.

The real St. Nicholas was brown-skinned and from the Middle East. It reflects their own stupid bias to get that wrong.

https://holsingerlawoffice.com/the-origin-of-santa-claus/

[lonely bird]

39. Enough of this bullshit

Nobody knows when The Christ was born. December 25 was appropriated by the Church. Santa Claus is a bastardization of Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a bishop living in what is now Turkey. Like most early saints his story cannot be proven accurate or factual.

As for black or white? Who gives a flying fuck. These RW racist religious snowflakes are pathetic

[soldierant]

47. I am always charmed by the reasons given for having chosen December 25.

My favorite is that, in Medieval times, and n many northern hemisphere cultures before and after, the day we call March 25 was the first day of spring and the beginning of the agricultural year, and was therefore thought to have been the (anniversary of the) day on which the world was created. So if course it would also have to be the day the Son of God was conceived. And they could count.

That it fell within the Saturnalia, and other festivals in other cultures - also for agricultural reasons - you can't work the fields when the ground is frozen, but you also lave all that harvest sitting around which should be used before it spoils - is often given as the prime reason, and it may have been, but it was not the only one.

[twodogsbarking]

41. Our children remember Santa

smelling funny.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. Bravissimo To The Neighbors!

Very good result.
Apparently, they are quite welcome in that neighborhood.

[BobTheSubgenius]

43. BEST outcome one could hope for.

Now, look for the lawn without Black Santa and prepare for a beating.

[Justice4JFK]

46. Humanity

Time to move forward together as one people of many colors.

[3catwoman3]

49. Major kudos to all the supportive neighbors.

I love how they responded.

[keithbvadu2]

50. Have you been good little boys and girls?

Have you been good little boys and girls?