Photo Courtesy of TikTok/ rozyqueenofcups
Both Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida, have upgraded their Christmas character lineup to include Black cast members as Santa Claus.
Disney made the new implementation for the holidays without any formal announcement or PR fanfare.
A Disney spokesperson told CNN that Santa Claus is supposed to represent communities in different ways all around the world and that “in that spirit, Santa Claus will reflect the diversity of surrounding communities at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.”
Victoria Wade, a theme park social media influencer, also spoke to the outlet and said, “Never in life did I think Disney would actually put a black Santa in the parks.”
The change brought emotions out of her and made her more likely to go out and spend money at the parks’ Christmas parties.
“With Disney implementing this change as part of their diversity and inclusion initiative, it really allows me to feel more comfortable and seen when I visit the parks.”
“Ultimately, it makes me feel more accepted, welcome and I’m thrilled at what this will do for children of all backgrounds when they visit Disney parks,” she continued.
TikTok user “rozyqueenofcups” shared a video of a Christmas parade where she spotted a Black Santa waving from a sleigh parade float.
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@rozyqueenofcupsI can’t express how magical this moment was. Thank u @disneyparks for the representation. #blacksanta #verymerriest #representationmatters #disney♬ When Christmas Comes to Town – Matthew Hall & Meagan Moore
“I can’t express how magical this moment was. Thank u, @disneyparks, for the representation,” Rozy, write and added the hashtags, “#ProudDisneyAdult, wrote, including the hashtags #blacksanta #verymerriest #representationmatters and #disney.”
Disney is just another one of the major commercial brands making inclusivity changes; last week, a new Oreo commercial aired that
featured a Black Santa relaxing in the bathtub.On Black Friday, Old Navy is set to host a Santa Bootcamp, which is an inclusive online training program that urges community members “from a broad array of backgrounds, ethnicities and cultural heritages to offer more representation in the role of Santa.”