For the first year ever, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota is hosting a black Santa. “It’s no big deal, I’m still Santa, I just happen to be a Santa of color,” said Larry Jefferson. “Minority children are always excited to see one of Santa’s helpers who looks like them. It gives them something to identify with, but Santa is still just Santa,” stated Jefferson in an interview for The Blaze. 

The man responsible for hiring a Santa for the mall, Landon Luther, has said, “We are looking to have a Santa for everyone,” according to CNN. The decision to hire a black man to play Santa has been met with praise for straying from the norm of a white Santa. Serge Selenou, a senior at ERHS, said, “I think it’s great because it shows that Santa doesn’t have to be a particular race.” Ngonda Agha, a fellow senior, said, “It’s nice to see that there’s more representation because Santa is an international figure. He’s a jolly old man who brings presents and leaves coal, it’s supposed to encourage kids to be good and I don’t see why he has to be tied to a certain race.”

Along with the praise, many people have reacted with anger, racism, and have proposed boycotts of the mall. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had to shut down its online comments section for their article covering the decision because “the dialogue became so offensive,” with many people aggressively commenting on how Santa is supposed to be white, although the folklore originated in Turkey.

One of the more publicized oppositions came from Megyn Kelly of Fox News, who stated that “Santa just is white. . . Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change. . .Jesus was a white man, too. . .he’s a historical figure, that’s a verifiable fact, as is Santa, I just want kids to know that.”

Many critics of her comments have argued that Santa is an imaginary figure who travels around the world delivering gifts to children in one night, so it is not as ridiculous as Megyn Kelly makes it seem for him to be of a different race. Ngonda commented, “It’s ridiculous for her to make the comparison of Santa to Jesus when Santa is a make-believe figure. For Catholics, Santa was based off of Saint Nicholas, who was in fact an African man, so he wouldn’t even be white to begin with.” She also added that “she needs to get her facts straight” and “the only symbolic thing about him is how he has reindeer, he lives in the North Pole, and he wears a red suit. So Santa doesn’t have to be white, it’s important for Santa to be different races so kids can get their representation.”