As Christmas decorations go, there are fewer and fewer Black Santas to be found. In the case of Dr. Bess Carpenter Dunner, she’s been collecting the figurines for decades, spreading joy and inspiration to anyone who visits her Central Texas home.
“You know, when people walk into my house, that’s never been here before they go, ‘Wow, all the Santas.’ And then they said they’re all black,” Dunner told KWTX in Waco, Texas. “You know, my response to them is, but I am too. So, my Santas look like me.”
According to Donner, a breast cancer survivor and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she has around 2,000 Black Santa figurines displayed in her home, from bedrooms to hallways, counters, and various bookshelves. Some stand on the floor, tall and in idyllic condition as if they were just taken out of the packaging. Some of the figurines still have the original price tag on them.
“I do that because I want my kids to go back and look and see the cost of things at the time that I bought them, and you see that it’s changed a lot over the years,” Dunner said. “Even last year this one was $49 and this year it’s $89.”
Over the years, the demand for Black Santa figurines has grown, and Dunner believes she has spent thousands of dollars to make sure Christmas in her house looks like her. When she first began her collection, she insisted that the Santas be Black because she wanted her children to be aware of who Mr. and Mrs. Claus were in her eyes.
Dunner is particular about the Department 56 Possible Dreams collection of Black Santas, which features handcrafted, hand-painted ceramic pieces. Only a select number of items are made and once they are sold out, they aren’t restocked.
The origins of Black Santa date back to the early 1900s, with Black men typically being met by racist chants, and at one point, President Woodrow Wilson mocked them at a Christmas dinner in the White House. However, the appeal for Black Santas changed when Bill “Bojangles” Robinson began dressing up as the most jolly man in the world for holiday events in Harlem. The concept spread to other Black communities across the country as Black men and women eyed representation in holiday traditions.
Today, the idea of a Black Santa still sparks some controversy for some. In nearby San Antonio, a passerby saw James Hudson portraying the Jolly Old Elf at the San Antonio International Airport and said, “woke Santa.” Others proudly saluted Hudson as he stepped into the red suit to spread holiday cheer.
“When I put on that red suit, I’m stepping into a role that means something to a lot of people,” the 53-year-old Hudson, affectionately known as Santa James, said. “It represents generosity, patience, love and showing up when people need joy. Our joy is not limited to a skin tone.”
