October 27th, 2020 – Traditionally, Christmas gift-giving has been embodied by happy people enjoying the warmth of the season. But rarely have the faces of Santa Claus or the joyful families been Black. According to fatherly.com, only about three percent of all department store Santas in the U.S. are African American.
The Black Paper Party aims to shift that narrative a bit.
The company – developed by a trio of women familiar with the lack of diversity with Christmas choices in the Big Box stores they worked for – creates ornaments and gift-wrapping paper with children, families and Santas that look like them.
“Coming from corporate retail, we noticed a deficit of products featuring people of color, especially during the holidays when a high percentage of money spent on holiday shopping is by Black Americans,” says Madia Wills, one of the founders of the BPP. “We saw creating wrapping paper and holiday ornaments as a necessity.”
Although the lack of Black holiday-themed products is hardly new, the current climate and constant reminders of unequal treatment make it more important than ever to have as many positive Black images on screens, in stores and on shelves across the U.S. as possible.
In that vein, the BPP team was encouraged to create a series of positive, joyful holiday characters including Papa and Nana Claus, sassy Aunt Holly and other uncles and aunts, some that are same-sex couples. The Christmas Babies are present, too, as is the Christmas Collective – ladies who help guide the Christmas Babies’ adventures by providing them with Christmas narratives and lessons to learn from throughout the season.
“Not only should Black children and Black people see themselves represented on holiday wrapping paper and gifts, but Black representation should not be an afterthought or trend. It should be commonplace and available to all,” Co-founder, Jasmine Hudson adds.
All the wrapping paper in the line is made in America.
BPP 2020 Collection is available at BlackPaperParty.com while supplies last. Check Black Paper Party’s website frequently for their Black Friday Promotion.
Black Paper Party is on a mission to provide gifting solutions and resources through culturally relevant products that spread joy and celebrate Black families during the holidays. BPP is a Black Owned, women owned business, that is co-owned by Jasmine Hudson, J’Aaron Merchant and Madia Willis who collectively have over 15 years of retail, product development, and creative design experience.
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