Black Santas To Appear In US Disney Parks For The First Time
This year’s Christmas decorations is set to have a new unique look with the appearance of a Black Santa at both the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Black Santa has been spotted at certain meet and greets and at after-work Christmas parties.
For years, Santa Claus has only been played by white or white-passing men at Walt Disney World. Including a Santa of a different race would be the latest move by Disney to promote diversity and inclusivity.
A Disney spokesperson told CNN that Santa Claus is represented in a variety of ways in local and regional communities and around the world – and in that spirit, Santa Claus will reflect the diversity of the world. form of the surrounding communities at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney parks are the newest place where families can see portraits of non-Caucasian Santas, with more Black Santas appearing in recent years at shopping centers and in one recent Oreo cookie ad.
As expected, Disney guests and the general public took to social media with strong opinions about it.