Published 15:21 IST, November 28th 2020
Man receives letter demanding removal of Black Santa decoration, netizens say 'get more'
An African-American man was recently left stunned after he received a letter from an anonymous neighbour asking him to take down black Santa decoration
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An African-American man from Arkansas was recently left stunned after he received a letter from an anonymous neighbour ordering him to take down the black Santa Clause decoration he had placed in his front yard. Taking to Facebook, Chris Kennedy informed that he found the note in his mailbox, shortly after he put up the festive inflatable in a bid to bring cheer to locals. He said that the letter left him “extremely angry” and further described the message as “racist”.
The letter, which was penned in the voice of a Santa Claus, read, “Please remove your n**** Santa. You should not try to deceive children into believing that I am a n****. I am caucasian (white man to you) and have been for 600 years. You being jealous of my race is no excuse for dishonesty. Besides that, you are making yourself the laughing stock of the neighbourhood”.
It further read, “Obviously, your values are not that of the Lakewood area and maybe you should move to a neighbourhood out east with the rest of your racist kind. Yours truly, Santa Claus”.
Kennedy said that he has no clue who the letter could have come from, however, he added that he was surprised to be at the receiving end of such hatred, given he places the black Santa every year in his courtyard. While speaking to Fox 16, he said that the children love it and that’s what Christmas is about. He also added that he is not perturbed by the letter and plans to keep the decoration in front of his home.
The letter was sent with an image of Santa with two thumbs down. The message was also marked with the logo of his neighbourhood’s property owners association. Kennedy said that he saw that something was coming from the Lakewood Property Owners Association, but he thought that the letter was “kind of odd”. LPOA, however, said that the letter did not come from them. Evan Blake, the executive director of the association, also added that the LPOA wants Kennedy in the neighbourhood and wants whoever wrote the letter to move out.
Neighbours, netizens ‘choose love’
Meanwhile, following the incident, the Little Rock resident has received an outpouring of support from others in his community who say they love the festive inflatable. In a separate Facebook post, Kennedy even shared letters and gifts he has received from his well-wishers. One resident even left a sign outside his home, which read, “Black, white or neither - You are loved in Lakewood. Long live Black Santa”.
Several internet users also flooded the comment section. While one user wrote, “Now that's a community coming together. What the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good,” another added, “I’m so happy to see such great support from your community! and to the Bad apple.... God don’t like ugly”. “I’m so sorry Chris!!! I’m embarrassed and ashamed !!! You’re a great man,a great father and husband!!! Please stay safe,” said third. "The fact that they hid says a lot!!! That letter wouldn't come from that company,” wrote fourth.
15:21 IST, November 28th 2020