CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte woman says she’s been collecting Black Santas for 50 years.
It started when Juanita Wortham bought her daughter a doll that looked like her, she said. That purchase snowballed into a Christmas collection all over the house.
“Little kids see themselves, and they want to see things that look like them, that have the same image as them,” she said. “I’m delighted that people have decided, ‘okay we live in a world that is composed of a lot of different people, a lot of different races, a lot of different ethnicities,’ so we should be able to enjoy and embrace that.”
From golfing and hip-hop Santas to Santas playing the saxophone or using a wheelchair, Wortham has no shortage of diversity in her collection.
Of course, she couldn’t forget Mrs. Claus, and the holiday spirit doesn’t stop with figurines. Wortham also has Santa-themed rugs, seat covers and more.
“I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I enjoy them,” Wortham said.
She says even her friends buy Santas for her collection.
Wortham says she’s done collecting now, but only because she’s run out of places to display.
Watch the video at the top of the page to see Wortham’s festive collection.
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