An Open Letter to People Who Hate (Black) Santa

Dear Traditional Racist White Parents, You had a hard week, huh? I understand, you’re just out here trying to get into the Christmas spirit by buying rope and white sheets to decorate your tree if you’re old-fashioned or hair pomade and a Mother Jones subscription if you’re alt right edgy and then you see that the Mall of America has the gall, the audacity, the ovaries to hire a black Santa. What is this bullshit, you wonder. Here’s the thing, you should have a seat – perhaps a very comfy one on #SantaLarry’s lap – and think about this more before you continue embarrassing yourself. Let’s, for now, ignore the historical roots of the St. Nick/ Santa character (because I know that ignoring facts is a pastime of yours and I want you to be comfortable) and focus on the holiday you claim to love. First, let me admit that I might be biased, I’m both a PoC and a parent who has never told their kids that Santa was a real person. That first part is pretty self-explanatory, but let’s get into it anyway. I identify as black which is to say that I am identified as and interacted with as black (even while benefiting from colorism). Because PoCs in general, and black people in particular, are not regularly represented in media mainstream American culture, I am disproportionately excited to see someone – anyone – who looks like me in that kind of role. Exhibit A:

A photo posted by Nicole Homer (@realnicolehomer) on Sep 21, 2016 at 2:22pm PDT

I love this shirt. I love the idea of a bl…