Santa Claus is a renowned globetrotter. A worldly man, if there ever was one.
But a group of East Toronto residents say his image has truly never reflected the diversity of his travels.
From this idea a new holiday tradition was born, and for the second year in a row, Allister Thomas, a graphic designer based out of Scarborough, has transformed himself into the self-proclaimed Black Santa.
“This is one of those opportunities you can’t pass up,” Thomas said, speaking to CTV News Toronto. “When you’re given an opportunity to meet kids you can’t pass it up.”
On Saturday, Thomas’ appearance at Old’s Cool General Store in East York saw lineups that stretched onto the street for a solid three hours.
“People are really thirsty to see themselves, and to see diversity,” Zahra Dhanani said, the store owner who came up with the idea for Black Santa last year. She saw Thomas, a long-time friend, as a natural fit for the role of the jolly man in the red suit.
Gone is the fluffy white beard, replaced with a gold garland necklace and dreadlocks. But Thomas’ connection with children, like that of his traditional Santa counterpart, is universal.
“He’s really cool,” 7-year-old Kiera West said.
“I wanted her to see perspective,” Kiera’s mother, Kim said. The family travelled more than an hour from Ajax for a visit with Kris Kringle. “To see a black Santa really says it’s possible for her to be anything.”
Moments after her children met Thomas, Angelica Moreno broke into tears.
“My daughter is Colombian and Chinese. The other night at bedtime she told me she can’t be beautiful because her skin isn’t white. That was so hard to hear,” Moreno said.
“That’s why it was important to bring my family here. People of colour make up more than 50 per cent of Toronto’s population. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to find Santas that represent us.”
“The fact that a kid could look at me and think ‘I could be Santa too’ enforces that Santa represents an idea. Not just a person on a Coca Cola bottle,” said Thomas. “As long as you want to give and be merry, anyone can be Santa.”
The giving spirit was on full display. In a bit of a role reversal, children actually brought presents to Santa. Thomas walked away with several hand drawn cards, a box of chocolates and an outpouring of community support.
“I dig this,” he laughed. “Last year was cool. This year has been amazing. Who knows what next year will bring, but I’m not missing this for the world.”
