Man Decides To Decorate His Yard With A Black Santa, Receives A Letter From His Racist Neighbor
Chris Kennedy from North Little Rock, Arkansas, just like many of us, loves putting up the decorations to get into the Christmas spirit. And one of his yearly festive traditions is a joyful inflatable figure of black Santa Claus. Chris told Today that “after three years of having no problems from anyone with our decorations,” this year, things went very differently.
The family of three, along with his wife Iddy and their 4-year-old daughter, were left in utter shock after one day, they received a hateful note left in their mail. Signed by “Santa Claus,” the typed letter featured extreme racist text and urged the family to “move to a neighborhood out east with the rest of their kind.”
First Chris read the note out loud on Facebook live, and later, shared it with a couple of news outlets. It soon blew up on social media, and many people stepped in to show Chris and his family their love and support. He said he’s been trying hard to stay positive and felt humbled by his neighbors coming together to have his back.
And as for the black Santa, there no plans to take it down. “The children love it and that’s what Christmas is about,” Kennedy told the press.
Chris from Arkansas made it a yearly festive tradition to put up a joyful figure of Black Santa on his lawn
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
But this year, he found a disgusting hate note left in his mail
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
The letter also had this picture of white Santa showing the thumbs-down
Image credits: THV11
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
The letter went viral after Chris Kennedy posted it on Facebook and shared the copy with the TV station KLRT. It’s not entirely clear who sent the envelope, but it had the return address of the Lakewood Property Owner’s Association.
After CNN contacted LPOA’s executive director Evan Blake, he stated that the Association had nothing to do with it. Blake also said he paid a visit to the Kennedy family and gave them a free membership to the LPOA. “We have never had anyone attack anyone based on their race. Racism is something that we do discriminate against and we will not stand for it,” Blake told CNN.
The Kennedy family have been living in the area for three years and have never had problems with their decorations
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
But neighbors stepped in to show their love and support for the Kennedys
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
Chris felt grateful for the overwhelming support he received and assured the black Santa will stay to fill hearts with joy
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
Meanwhile, Chris has his own suspicions of who could have sent him a hateful letter. “I feel like it’s a combination of politics and actual racism. I am not sure that it was solely about just the Black Santa display as much as it was legitimately just racism, in general.”
But for Chris, putting up a Black Santa figure every year has very personal significance. According to CNN, it brings back fond childhood memories of looking at elaborate light displays with his father, who died over 15 years ago on Thanksgiving Day. “Putting up Christmas displays reminds me of him,” Kennedy said of his father.
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
Image credits: Chris Kennedy
And this is what people had to comment about it
Saint Nicholas lived in the area of today's Turkey. Chances are rather high that he at least had a somewhat darker skin tone. Even worse, Santa Clause is a fictional figure. Purple skin would be equally fine than white one.
Just found this: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/dec/13/highereducation.uk
Nice. Thanks.
It's from "The Guardian" ... so it must be true. LOL
I never knew that. He should have olive skin tone if we’re to be politically correct, but you know how white people like to claim everything for theirs. *sigh* (I’m white and acknowledge this)
@Hans I think my comment was taken more viciously than I intended. I just remembered Santa being an integral part of my childhood and I know that kids are often on Social Media sites from the age of around 7/8 (not their fault; their parents') but I guess I may have taken myself too seriously. Thanks for your respectful reply.
All fine with me. Collecting downvotes is quite easy here, though. Been there, done that. ;)
@ Carrot Dude Kids shouldn't be here.
turks are very divers most have light skin dark hair but theres tanned turks even blonde turks
Santa is fictional. So? So is God.
And most of the legend made around St. Nicholas is coming from probably Sámi tribes, who's at the time looked mostly like today's inuits.
This comment has been deleted.
Actually Saint Nicholas was Greek, so white.
Not exactly...
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Just be careful posting those comments. Kids can sometimes populate these sites, and even if you don't care, it doesn't take that much effort to not include that stuff in your comment.
I do not mean to be offensive. I would assume that the threshold of not believing in Santa etc. is the threshold of learning to read usually, isn't it?
This is so ridiculous. Santa is at minimum a demi-god with all the powers he's ascribed. Things Santa can do: Look into people's minds. Keep track of everybody's behaviours all the time (or maybe just every kid's?). Fly. Obtain presents for every child who celebrates Xmas. Distribute all the toys in a single night. Get into sealed houses. Appear in thousands of Santa's Grottos at the same time, looking slightly different every time (Maybe? I'm not acually clear whether people tell their kids those are the real santa) Things Santa can't do: HAVE A SLIGHTLY DARKER SKIN COLOUR ARE YOU NUTS THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE AND ALSO RACIST SOMEHOW!!!!! (That all-caps rant was being sarcastic, in case that wasn't abundantly clear)
not to mention, he eats a ton of cookies. I mean... *a TON* of cookies.
You are too optimistic. As Calvin framed it, "Santa: Kindly old elf, or CIA spook?"
And the letter writer used COMIC SANS!!!
Lol - came here to say this!
Adele Maestranzi love
Saint Nicholas lived in the area of today's Turkey. Chances are rather high that he at least had a somewhat darker skin tone. Even worse, Santa Clause is a fictional figure. Purple skin would be equally fine than white one.
Just found this: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/dec/13/highereducation.uk
Nice. Thanks.
It's from "The Guardian" ... so it must be true. LOL
I never knew that. He should have olive skin tone if we’re to be politically correct, but you know how white people like to claim everything for theirs. *sigh* (I’m white and acknowledge this)
@Hans I think my comment was taken more viciously than I intended. I just remembered Santa being an integral part of my childhood and I know that kids are often on Social Media sites from the age of around 7/8 (not their fault; their parents') but I guess I may have taken myself too seriously. Thanks for your respectful reply.
All fine with me. Collecting downvotes is quite easy here, though. Been there, done that. ;)
@ Carrot Dude Kids shouldn't be here.
turks are very divers most have light skin dark hair but theres tanned turks even blonde turks
Santa is fictional. So? So is God.
And most of the legend made around St. Nicholas is coming from probably Sámi tribes, who's at the time looked mostly like today's inuits.
This comment has been deleted.
Actually Saint Nicholas was Greek, so white.
Not exactly...
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Just be careful posting those comments. Kids can sometimes populate these sites, and even if you don't care, it doesn't take that much effort to not include that stuff in your comment.
I do not mean to be offensive. I would assume that the threshold of not believing in Santa etc. is the threshold of learning to read usually, isn't it?
This is so ridiculous. Santa is at minimum a demi-god with all the powers he's ascribed. Things Santa can do: Look into people's minds. Keep track of everybody's behaviours all the time (or maybe just every kid's?). Fly. Obtain presents for every child who celebrates Xmas. Distribute all the toys in a single night. Get into sealed houses. Appear in thousands of Santa's Grottos at the same time, looking slightly different every time (Maybe? I'm not acually clear whether people tell their kids those are the real santa) Things Santa can't do: HAVE A SLIGHTLY DARKER SKIN COLOUR ARE YOU NUTS THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE AND ALSO RACIST SOMEHOW!!!!! (That all-caps rant was being sarcastic, in case that wasn't abundantly clear)
not to mention, he eats a ton of cookies. I mean... *a TON* of cookies.
You are too optimistic. As Calvin framed it, "Santa: Kindly old elf, or CIA spook?"
And the letter writer used COMIC SANS!!!
Lol - came here to say this!
Adele Maestranzi love