Megyn Kelly Isn't Just Holding Black Santa For Ransom

     A decade ago I was standing in a mall in Monroe, Louisiana. The only mall, at the time, I'm going to guess that Pecanland Mall is still the only mall. Anyway, it was around this time of year and I was doing some shopping for family members with my oldest daughter. She was four and full of fun, awkward, and spontaneous questions, like most kids her age. I was mentally going through my checklist and holding her hand.

     

     "Mom, look at all those Santa Claus 'statueds'! Which's da real Santa?" she asked me.

     Sure enough, there were a lot of Santa Claus figurines looking at us standing outside the store window. Some were lounging in beach chairs with shades and shorts on. Some looked like monks from medieval time with big sacks of gifts on their backs. Some faces were snowflake white. Some faces were as brown as the tips of eagle feathers. The only thing in common were white beards, and I think a few didn't even have those! I really wanted them all to be real to her. How do I do that, I wondered. 

     My parents weren't big on Santa Claus. The Christmas story of the birth of Jesus Christ was the center of conversation. That's not to say he didn't come to our house, it's just, he was a very minor thing. My own family WAS big on Santa being part of the holiday season. I didn't have anything to go on from my childhood. My husband wasn't there to 'you answer this one honey', so, it was up to me. In a matter of a few seconds I came up with an answer.

     "Well Santa has been around for a long, long time and he changes his suit into about everything you can imagine. But, what is so cool about Santa is although he lives for a long time, longer than anyone you know, he doesn't live forever as Santa Claus. One day, he chooses to be a normal human again. He passes his powers onto the next Santa. He can look like any of those statues but, you never know until you see him."

    My daughter listened totally captured by my explanation. Her little mouth made a perfect O several times. I was feeling pretty good about myself.

    "Dat's so cool mom!" She said at the end. I smiled down at her. She wanted to go look at them. I let her look outside the widow. Suddenly, I was back to the mom that didn't let her go touch all the porcelain 'statueds'. I can honestly say I never gave the different versions of Santa much thought afterwards. Until Fox Anchor, Megyn Kelly, opened her racist mouth.

     The fact that she brushed aside calls against her statements and even doubling down, only made it more glaring. It goes back to my common point that images matter to people. Especially, ones that people seek to identify with not only themselves, but with others as well. I mean how crazy is it that Megyn Kelly invaded peoples homes and told them what their Santa Claus has to look like?! I think it's just as crazy as it is for sports to invade my home and try to tell me, a Native American, how I'm supposed to be represented. 

     In a few angry toned sentences she tried to take away something from families, unlike her image of family. She tried to flaunt her ideas of what someone's tradition 'should look like' in her mind and force her will on everyone. She kidnapped Black Santa and put up something ugly and untrue in his place. I wonder if the problem is less Ms. Kelly and more what is already a norm. Does it not happen every time Native Mascotry is used?

     No matter what sports leaders choose to do, I will always be that Indian woman that's not brain-washed, not a self-hater, and not too proud to ignore the ignorance. I will always be one of many that say, "Stop giving YOUR mythical images of Native Americans more rights than me as a person. Stop coming into my house flaunting bad representation, especially cause our own representation is way cooler. Quit kidnapping what I teach my kids about our culture and putting up something ugly and untrue in its place!"