?Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town! Ooooh Yeah…?
The folks over at Mall of America in Minnesota now have a Black Santa Claus to match this very Black Christmas tune by the legendary Jackson 5. This is the first time in the mall’s 24 years of existence that they ever hired a Santa Claus of color:
The Mall Of America Hires Its First Black Santa Claus https://t.co/LgUvhJwfLF pic.twitter.com/L8W59VXzjG
— Vibe Magazine (@VibeMagazine) December 4, 2016
Apparently there are a number of people who are upset about Black Santa, a retired veteran from Texas that goes by Larry Jefferson when he is not lighting up the faces of children everywhere. When the news first surfaced, negative comments about his race were so overwhelming that a publication had to disable their comments feature:
Looks like we had to turn comments off on story about Mall of America’s first black Santa. Merry Christmas everyone!https://t.co/BQVm24DH6y
— Scott Gillespie (@stribgillespie) December 2, 2016
But not everyone is upset. According to sources, Black Santa is currently booked! More than a hundred appointments have been made, with Saturday and Sunday filled to capacity. He is also on schedule for the same gig at a mall in Texas and has been invited to appear on the Steve Harvey show in upcoming days.
“What they see most of the time is this red suit and candy…a good spirit. I’m just a messenger to bring hope, love and peace to girls and boys.”, Jefferson tells the Star Tribune.
TELL US: What are your thoughts about Black Santa?
