FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — The holiday season is a time of joy and magic, but for many, traditional depictions of Santa Claus have not always been inclusive.
The “traditional” Santa is known to have a red hat, a red coat, a jolly belly, a white beard and typically a white face.
Shakila and Christopher Willis, local neighbors, emphasize the importance of diverse representation in holiday decorations.
“If there’s this single representation of Santa, then the kids that are not represented in that fashion and that light, they will wonder, ‘Okay, am I being left out?'” Christopher Willis said.
Santas of color make up less than five percent of mall Santas nationwide, according to the National Santa website.
Stafford Braxton, founder of “Santas Just Like Me,” aims to increase visibility for Black Santas.
“Santa can be in all colors, shapes, sizes,” Braxton said. “He doesn’t fit the one mold like we were taught growing up,”
“Santas Just Like Me,” based out of North Carolina, has Black Santas across the country, including one in Los Angeles.
Terry Scott, a local Santa in Fresno, is part of the “Black Santa Movement.”
“You have some people that criticize it, but you cannot criticize love,” Scott said.
He shared that many people from diverse backgrounds are eager to take pictures with him, highlighting the demand for representation.
He also shared that his real, white beard most often proves his validity of being Santa to the children.
Mercedes Bellinger, a Fresno neighbor, expressed the significance of diverse Santas and how she will always make sure to bring that representation for her daughter.
“It’s finally time that we actually show spirit to not only one person or one side, everybody, every race and every color,” she said. “It is that deep because for a little kid they want to see someone that looks like them”
These efforts are not only healing for today’s children but also for the inner child of many adults.
“The parents, it really shocks me, it really does,” Scott said. “Some of them push the kids out the way, ‘I want a picture first, I want a picture first.'”
The movement for diverse Santas is growing, bringing holiday magic to all and ensuring everyone can see themselves in the story of Christmas.
