Community News The ‘GQ’ of Santa Clauses opening young African American eyes Published: Dec. 10, 2023, 8:00 a.m. 12 1/12 Michigan-based Santa couple brings holiday joy to children ...

The African-American Santa has been a tradition at the Black History Museum for the past 20 years. “It’s our holiday open house,” said Mary Lauderdale, a spokeswoman for the museum.

To their surprise, this Santa did not look like the ones in holiday movies or books — instead, he was a thin African American man. "This was just totally out of the realm for us.

This became a family story they often laughed about. But growing up in the South during the Civil Rights era, she never saw an African American Santa or decorations, she told the Free Press. Later ...